Town-Crier Newspaper February 22, 2013

RPB’S TEMPLE BETH ZION TO MERGE SEE STORY, PAGE 3

CRUCIAL ROLE FOR PBCFR AFTER STORM SEE STORY, PAGE 7

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TOWN - CR IER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

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INSIDE Leave Wellington? Idea Faces An Uphill Battle

Volume 34, Number 8 February 22 - February 28, 2013

RPB SENIORS ENJOY VALENTINE’S DAY

Further discussion will be needed before some residents could pursue removing parts of Wellington’s equestrian area from village control. Members of the Equestrian Forum of Wellington hosted an informational meeting Monday, Feb. 18 at Polo West Cantina to address the issue. Page 3

Second Wellington Idol Contest Hosts Auditions

Live auditions were held for the second annual Wellington Idol on Saturday, Feb. 16 at the Wellington Amphitheater. More than 20 contestants auditioned for a chance to compete in the semifinals on Friday, Feb. 22.

Page 10

Annual Senior Expo And Health Pavilion

Humana presented West Palm Beach’s 29th annual Senior Expo & Health Pavilion on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 12 and 13 in the Expo Center at the South Florida Fairgrounds.

There were free educational seminars and information on investments, travel, health and fitness, and more, as well as raffles and door prizes. Page 24

OPINION It’s Time For State To Ban Texting & Driving

There’s some long-awaited good news coming out of Tallahassee on driving safety. Though in the past, the Florida Legislature has made numerous failed attempts to deal with the issue of texting and driving, the issue is being revisited — and this time the outlook is rather hopeful.

The state legislature would do well to pass this legislation, both to prevent more roadway tragedies and also to score a win in the credibility column. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS ............................. 3 - 15 OPINION .................................4 CRIME NEWS .........................6 NEWS BRIEFS........................ 8 SCHOOLS .............................17 PEOPLE ............................... 19 COLUMNS .................... 29 - 30 BUSINESS .................... 31 - 33 ENTERTAINMENT ................ 35 SPORTS ........................ 41 - 43 CALENDAR ...................44 - 45 CLASSIFIEDS ................ 46 - 50 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

The Royal Palm Beach Seniors Activities Group celebrated Valentine’s Day with a party Feb. 14 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. Dick Carmine performed songs, while snacks and beverages were served. Shown here are volunteers Attis Solomon, Elaine Mathis, Dick Carmine, Vinette Tracey, Dolly Hughes and Cheryl Lower. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 24 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Report: Wellington In-House Attorney Would Save Money

By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report A report prepared by an independent firm points to in-house legal counsel as the cheaper longterm option for Wellington, but it will be up to council members Tuesday, Feb. 26 to make the decision.

Council members voted last year to hire the International Municipal Lawyers Association to weigh the costs and benefits of both an in-house and a contracted legal representative.

“IMLA believes that [Wellington] can stabilize its legal expenses by adopting the in-house coun-

sel model, and that it will likely save money in the long term,” the report stated.

But a competitive proposal from a contracted lawyer could also help Wellington save on legal costs.

“The village is on the cusp of this decision point and may be able to reduce its expenses in the short term should it receive a suitable proposal from outside counsel,” the report continued.

Wellington has been without permanent legal representation since last year, when a divided council voted to fire then-Village Attorney Jeff Kurtz.

of Coconut Blvd., will be in area 1, which will be serviced by Waste Management Inc. of Florida, which was awarded a contract of $11 million. Customers in that area will pay $12.49 a month, which is down from $25.17 a month when it was serviced by Republic Services.

Maccarrone said the new service areas incorporate portions of sparsely populated areas on dirt roads with more populated areas.

Areas 1 and 2, which service The Acreage, also extend all the way through populated areas to the coast.

“There is a difference out there, but by combining those areas, that’s what helped bring those rates down, because the hauler wasn’t only picking up those areas that have a lot of dirt roads and they’re spread apart,” Maccarrone said. “He gets the benefit of much simpler and more economical areas to pick up.”

The SWA actually had more bidders than service areas, Maccarrone said. “In the past, we had six bidders and 11 service areas, so they all knew they were getting something. This time there was a good chance that someone was getting nothing, and that’s exactly what happened, so they had to bid aggressively.”

Nine Area Teachers Honored As Dwyer Award Finalists

By Jessica Gregiore Town-Crier Staff Report With more than 12,000 teachers in Palm Beach County, recognizing all of their hard work and dedication is a challenge, but a necessity. Through the William T. Dwyer Awards for Excellence in Education, the Economic Council of Palm Beach County and the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County honor the exceptional work of teachers.

Each school nominates five candidates, one in each of five categories. Those names are sent to the Dwyer Awards Selection Committee, which then chooses five finalists in each category. Twenty-five nominees across the five categories were chosen as finalists for the 2013 awards. Nine educators from local schools are among them.

Lisa Simpson of Loxahatchee Groves Elementary School is nominated in the Elementary Education category; Ronald Wilber of Wellington Landings Middle School is

nominated in the Middle School category; Maureen Witkowski of Royal Palm Beach High School and Scott Zucker of Wellington High School are nominated in the Senior High category; Steven Gordon of Western Pines Middle School, Barbara Incandela of Wellington High School and Elizabeth B. Richards of Equestrian Trails Elementary School are nominated in the Special Programs category; and Patrick Raney of Royal Palm Beach High School and Earle Wright of Seminole Ridge High School are nominated in the Career Education category.

Loxahatchee Groves Elementary School reading, writing and social studies teacher Lisa Simpson has been teaching in Palm Beach County for eight years and enjoys working with children. “To see them growing and learning every day is the best part of being a teacher,” she said.

Simpson tries to meet the needs of each student on an individual See TEACHERS, page 23

ART SOCIETY MEETING

The report, which was completed earlier this month, will be presented to council members by IMLA Executive Director Charles Thompson Jr. next week.

“I think it’s good to have all our options laid out,” Councilwoman Anne Gerwig told the Town-Crier Wednesday. “But I think it’s going to come down to what the council wants.”

The presentation will give council members, along with members of the public, an opportunity to listen to the findings.

Councilman Matt Willhite, who See LAWYER, page 23

SWA Inks New Trash Contracts; Acreage Residents To Pay Less

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Palm Beach County Commission, sitting as the Solid Waste Authority Board of Governors, approved franchise awards for solid waste and recycling pickup to five haulers Feb. 13 despite Acreage residents’ complaints that their rates were too high.

The new bids, which reduced the service areas from 12 to five, represented an overall cost reduction of 23 percent, according to SWA calculations. The concern for some Acreage residents was that the overall lower rates were not distributed evenly across the county.

Most of The Acreage is in District 2, which will be serviced by Advanced Disposal Services. Its bid of $10.97 million was accepted.

Residents of the former service areas for The Acreage — areas 8 east and west — were paying $32 a month but will see rates drop to $12.49 a month and $13.43 a month, respectively, according to the SWA’s chief financial officer, Charles Maccarrone. “It’s a huge reduction,” Maccarrone told the Town-Crier Wednesday.

A small portion of The Acreage, north of Northlake Blvd. and east

Serving Palms West Since 1980

Waste Pro, the current hauler for The Acreage, was left out of the bid process because of alleged small business enterprise infractions, which the company has challenged in court.

During public input at the meeting, Indian Trail Improvement District Supervisor Gary Dunkley questioned the rates being charged in The Acreage. “Approximately two years ago, I complained that we were the second-highest paying customers for solid waste,” he said. “I see that you have closed your zones down from 11 zones to five zones in terms of saving money.”

Dunkley said he will be paying less but will still be paying more than people in other zones. “I don’t understand why,” he said. “Our streets have an average of a dozen homes, compared to the city streets, which have many more homes. I really don’t see how you justify charging us more than the rest of the zones.”

SWA Executive Director Mark Hammond said a lot of it has to do with the type of residences. “A lot of you may recall that about six months or so ago, a truck actually overturned out there,” Hammond said. “A lot of the roads are dirt, See SWA, page 3

The Wellington Art Society held a membership meeting Wednesday, Feb. 13 at the Wellington Community Center. New members brought their artwork to show the group, and Nina Fusco gave a demonstration of her 3D paper sculpting. Shown here is Gloria Hirjak with some of her pastel pieces.

MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

County Gets ITID OK For 60th Street Work

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Indian Trail Improvement District supervisors approved a special permit last week for Palm Beach County to connect 60th Street to the State Road 7 extension. The connection is expected to significantly relieve traffic on Persimmon and Orange Grove boulevards.

The SR 7 extension is currently under construction from its current terminus at Persimmon north to 60th Street. That project is being done by the county, which completed the extension from Okeechobee Blvd. to Persimmon in 2009.

The Florida Department of Transportation is expected to complete the connection to Northlake Blvd. by 2015.

In November, the ITID board placed conditions on the permit approval, including that the county reduce the number of lanes

from three to two over concerns that three lanes would encourage speeding and encourage western development. Additional conditions were to lower the speed limit to 30 mph and to landscape the road to buffer it from nearby residents.

Resident Patricia Curry was concerned about 60th Street having a thoroughfare designation.

“Whenever roads are designated a thoroughfare, they leave the community open to special landuse applications for commercial,” Curry said, who added that the road should have heavy landscaping because it now is only a lightly traveled dirt road.

Former Supervisor Mike Erickson said that 60th Street was designed as an arterial to relieve the connections currently at Persimmon and Orange Grove.

“This is one more link that has See 60TH STREET, page 9

Royal Palm Prepares To Open New Park With Parties

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Royal Palm Beach will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the new Royal Palm Commons Park at 11600 Poinciana Blvd. on Saturday, March 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The ribbon cutting will be the preamble to a larger grand opening weekend event set for Friday through Sunday, March 22-24.

Village Manager Ray Liggins said the ribbon cutting is intended to allow the public to get to know the new 160-acre park, although all the furnishings and vendors are not yet in place.

“We’re going to have the Food Truck Invasion there serving food throughout the day with over 15 food trucks,” Liggins said.

Entertainment will be provided

by local schools, karate and dance studios beginning at 10 a.m. at various locations within the park.

Other activities include inflatable games, sand volleyball and rides, canoeing, kayaking and paddleboat rentals. Children can also bring a bathing suit to the interactive fountain.

“This is the opening of the park to the public,” Liggins said. “This is where we can start letting people in to enjoy it.”

Furnishings are not yet installed on the second and third floors of the main facility, although the boat rentals are set up on the first floor.

“We don’t have a café and a golf vendor, but we do have an outfitter,” he said. “We’re going to handle the golf ourselves for right now, and we’re going to build

the kitchen out ourselves and rebid the café. We’ve decided to put the furnishings on that main floor ourselves.”

The third floor, which is intend-

ed for parties and receptions, will be open for residents to visit and check the view of the park and beyond.

“This is long-awaited,” he said.

“It’s going to be a great park.”

The grand opening March 2224 will begin Friday at 5 p.m. with more entertainment, a fun zone See NEW PARK, page 23

The new park will open with a ribbon cutting March 2. A larger party is planned later in the month.

PHOTO BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER

Page 2 February 22 - February 28, 2013

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February 22 - February 28, 2013 Page 3

NEWS

‘Deannexation’ Proponents Face Uphill Battle To Leave Wellington

By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Further discussion will be needed before some residents could pursue removing parts of Wellington’s equestrian area from village control.

Members of the Equestrian Forum of Wellington hosted an informational meeting Monday, Feb.

18 at Polo West Cantina to address the issue.

“We had been approached by some landowners… who have been frustrated with the way things are going,” Board Member Alex Zilo told the Town-Crier Tuesday.

“We wanted to provide them with as much information as possible.”

In the wake of a controversial

election and some decisions by the current Wellington Village Council, Zilo said he believes some residents are concerned about Wellington’s future and want to explore their options.

The meeting was not to decide whether to secede — or “deannex” — parts of the Equestrian Preserve Area from Wellington,

Royal Palm Beach’s Temple Beth Zion is merging with Temple Beth El.

Longtime RPB Temple To Merge With West Palm Congregation

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report After 32 years in Royal Palm Beach, Temple Beth Zion has announced that it is merging with Temple Beth El in West Palm Beach.

President Iris Rosenberg said demographic and economic changes forced the decision for the Conservative congregation.

“It has been the heart and center of Royal Palm Beach,” Rosenberg said. “Over the past years, the demographics of Royal Palm Beach have changed. Most of our Jewish seniors are moving on to greener pastures. The ones who are aging are going into retirement homes, or moving back north to their children.”

Rosenberg noted that for younger Jewish families, Judaism’s Conservative movement has not been an influence in their life, and

they are opting for either Reform or Chabad congregations.

“The sad part is once the child has had a bar or bat mitzvah, membership usually drops from the family,” she said, explaining that the family members seem to feel once their children reach that mark, there is no further need for a Judaic education. “Sadly, that’s only the beginning. There are life cycles, and it’s a wonderful part of life to learn from the beginning to the end.”

She said the temple can no longer hold a congregation large enough to support its continuation. It recently lost its preschool, and many members have been unable to pay dues due to economic difficulties. “This caused us to go into this situation faster than we would have liked,” Rosenberg said.

Temple Beth El is a vibrant con-

gregation located at Flagler Drive and 28th Street in West Palm Beach. “They have welcomed us graciously,” she said.

The Temple Beth Zion property, located between Veterans Park and the village’s municipal complex on Royal Palm Beach Blvd., is for sale.

“The proceeds from the sale will be put into some kind of educational foundation to further Jewish education,” Rosenberg said.

The temple will hold a garage sale Sunday, March 3 and Wednesday, March 6 to sell congregation property, including computer and office equipment.

Meanwhile, Temple Beth Zion will hold its final Purim celebration this Sunday with costumes and a carnival. The public is invited.

The temple is located at 129 Sparrow Drive. For more information, call (561) 798-8888.

Zilo stressed, but instead to give residents information.

“No decision was made at the meeting,” he said. “We had handouts with information about the process and what services Wellington does and does not provide.”

Instead, the board agreed to put together a feasibility study to gather more concrete information about the pros and cons of secession, and what is and isn’t possible, Zilo explained. “I’d like to have it done by our next meeting,” he said.

Wellington Village Manager Paul Schofield spoke at the meeting, providing information on the process.

Councilwoman Anne Gerwig, who attended, said she thought the meeting was an important opportunity for residents to air their grievances and come together to find out more information, even if they don’t pursue any action.

“Not everyone in the room agreed with everything that was said, but I think it was important for people to come together, get information and discuss these issues,” she said.

Councilman Matt Willhite, who also attended, noted that parts of Wellington might not be able to secede, as pointed out at the meeting. For example, any areas within the Wellington PUD (planned unit development) cannot leave the village. That includes Saddle Trail and the controversial Equestrian Village site. “Those areas can’t come out,” Willhite explained. “I think a lot of people came looking for information, and I think they were enlightened on some things.”

When developed, Wellington

SWA

Lower Rates

continued from page 1 not all, but there’s a lot of distance between houses. Some of the roads are in poor shape, and it just costs more to service that area than a more traditional urban area.”

Palm Beach County Mayor Steven Abrams pointed out that the bids submitted were blind, competitive bids.

“All the bidders had the opportunity to bid on each of these zones, and the bidder that is recommended to be awarded put in their lowest bid on their capability of picking up in that zone,” Abrams

was split into several large units that are made up of land both in and out of the Equestrian Preserve.

Gerwig noted that Paddock Park and Orange Point would be affected as well.

“It would affect so many properties that you’d have a hodgepodge of areas [that could secede],” she said. “You can’t just deannex part of a PUD. But I think it’s good for people to discuss it in case that’s something they want to work toward.”

Though secession of certain areas could be possible, Zilo said that residents would have to weigh the positive and negative aspects of each.

“There are some services that Wellington provides that would be lost from seceding,” he explained.

“Wellington pays to have additional deputies on patrol. But some residents may not want to pay for those additional services.”

If secession were to occur, Willhite noted that the area would be governed by Palm Beach County, unless residents organized to incorporate into their own government — a process that could take a long time.

“They can’t be without government,” he said. “They would also still fall under the Acme Improvement District, which is run by the current council. They would still be subject to our water quality standards and other rules.”

Gerwig noted that Wellington’s rules have been carefully crafted to protect its equestrian area, and defaulting to the county rules could cause problems.

“They would lose the protection of the [equestrian overlay zoning district],” she said. “The way

Wellington is set up, our levels of service on the roads in the equestrian preserve is almost at a failing rate. But that’s because we want slow traffic, which is better when you have horses and trailers in the area. The fact that the roads are two lanes with congestion makes it safer for the type of use we have.”

But that is unique to Wellington, Gerwig said. “If the roads were to Palm Beach County standards, they’d be widened immediately,” she said. “They wouldn’t have that protection if the county wanted to go in there and widen South Shore Blvd.”

Willhite said he hopes to see more discussion before a decision is made.

“I think anything that is done needs to be done methodically,” he said. “I think it would be irrational to just go out and get all the signatures without taking the time to discuss what would happen.”

Gerwig said that although she sees value in having the conversation, she doesn’t see secession as an answer to the divisiveness in Wellington.

“I don’t see it progressing, just because there are too many difficulties,” she said. “Given the conditions, I don’t see how it would achieve what they want. I think it could open them up to a lot more concerns, like road widening.”

But Zilo said that would be up to residents, who, hopefully, will continue to be informed on the issue. “We just want to gather the information so that residents can decide if it’s what they want,” he said.

For more information, visit www. equestrianforumofwellington.com.

said. “It still was competitively bid, and you are getting the lowest and you are achieving savings, but due to some of the characteristics of the community, it still may be higher than a more urban pickup route.”

Acreage resident Alex Larson said the rates have always been high in The Acreage. “It should be fair and equitable,” she said.

“We should all be paying the same rate all throughout the county.

There are counties in this state where everybody pays $243. Everybody in the county pays the same amount. Why are the poorest areas getting hit the hardest?

Belle Glade pays top dollar, we’re

right behind them, and then down in Boca Raton you pay $104? It doesn’t make sense.”

Acreage resident Patricia Curry said she was glad to see that rates in The Acreage are going to be lower than in the past but noted that they still were higher than most everyone else is paying.

“I don’t see why you can’t just combine the assessments and charge everyone the same instead of punishing people for living in particular zones,” Curry said. “My trash is no different than everybody else’s.”

Commissioner Shelley Vana made a motion to adopt the new rates, which carried 7-0.

Page 4 February 22 - February 28, 2013

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OUR OPINION

Time For Legislature To Take Action Against Texting And Driving Here’s a change of pace: There’s good news coming out of Tallahassee. Though in the past it has made numerous failed attempts to deal with the issue of texting and driving, the Florida Legislature is revisiting the issue — and this time the outlook is rather hopeful. Earlier this month, State Sen. Nancy Detert (R-District 28) filed a bill to create the Florida Ban on Texting While Driving Law, which made it through a committee vote. Meanwhile, in the House, State Rep. Doug Holder (R-District 74) filed a similar bill and a workshop was held on the issue with a wide range of experts testifying. And with a new legislature this year, it’s possible we’ll see a bill make it to the governor’s desk.

Over the past few years, the legislature has seen numerous “texting and driving” bills start and fail. But this year looks to change that. State Rep. Mark Pafford (D-District 86) is optimistic, noting that it will likely get a fair hearing in both chambers. “This year, there’s a new team in terms of leadership, and I think it will get a fair hearing in both chambers,” Pafford told the Town-Crier on Wednesday. “I feel more positive than I have ever felt about it.”

Still, there are many specifics left to work out, and how much teeth the final version will have depends on those specifics. For example, the legislature must define the parameters, deciding whether the ban should include people talking on cell phones, using hands-free devices or other various smartphone features. More crucially, legislators will have to decide whether to make this a primary or secondary offense. This would determine whether a law enforcement officer

can pull over a motorist solely for texting (primary), or if a citation can be written only after being pulled over for something else (secondary). Currently, the bills filed by Detert and Holder call for the latter. While we understand this was done to ensure easier passage through both chambers, we’d like to see the final version give law enforcement the proper authority in this matter.

Because texting is especially popular with young people, education plays a central role in preventing tragedy. According to the federal web site Distraction.gov, the under-20 age group has the largest proportion of distracted drivers. To combat that statistic, health and wellness organization Unite started the Arrive Alive Tour (www.arrivealivetour.com), which travels the country visiting schools from the elementary level up through college, using a high-tech simulator, impact video and other resources to educate students about the dangers of texting while driving (as well as drunk driving). The tour is in Palm Beach County next week, visiting American Heritage High School in Delray Beach on Monday and the Palm Beach State College Eissey Campus in Palm Beach Gardens on Wednesday.

The state legislature would do well to pass this legislation, to help prevent more roadway tragedies, but also to score a win in the credibility column. After wasting time and money on needless constitutional amendments last year, this would be a step in the right direction — a necessary law that would immediately begin to save lives.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Support For Swift If you live in the north end of Royal Palm Beach, you need to be informed of the March 12 election.

Despite the concerns of hundreds of residents who live in the Saratoga, Madison Green and Hawthorne developments, Councilwoman Martha Webster is still pushing for commercial or industrial development on the village’s old water treatment plant property. Despite the recommendations of a task force that was charged with coming up with a land use designation that would protect these residents, Mrs. Webster and her allies from the local chamber of commerce have made it their mission to promote commercial/ industrial development on this piece of village-owned property.

For those parents who have children attending H.L. Johnson Elementary School, can you imagine the impact that this kind of development will have on your child’s ability to safely walk or ride their bikes to school with increased car and truck traffic rumbling down an already overcrowded Crestwood Blvd.? How would the village mitigate the impact of increased noise and light pollution to those homes that border the site? How will this kind of development help maintain the property value of your home in an already depressed market?

At a Feb. 16 candidates forum put on by the Saratoga Homeowners’ Association, a resident asked, “Would you vote for anything other than a residential community on the old wastewater treatment plant property? Yes or No?” Three of the four candidates gave an emphatic “no” answer.

Mrs. Webster would not answer the question.

Another tell-tale sign is a review of her campaign treasurer’s report.

More than 80 percent of her contributions come from individuals, corporations or businesses located outside of Royal Palm Beach.

One has to wonder who she is beholden to when she votes for any kind of a land use change in our village.

There is, however, a viable alternative. David Swift, a former Royal Palm Beach councilman with more than 20 years of experience, is challenging Mrs. Webster in the March election. He has previously listened to our residents and has voted against commercial or industrial development on this site. He has a long list of accomplishments in our town and has demonstrated the ability to work cooperatively with other members of council.

In closing, I urge all residents of Royal Palm Beach to become engaged, informed voters, pose questions to these candidates and make plans to vote on Election Day. Michael Axelberd Royal Palm Beach

heavy rains and flooding that occurred during the tropical storm.

The Division of Emergency Management gets all of its information regarding storm intensity and projected rainfall from the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service Center in Miami. Neither one of those agencies predicted in advance that we were going to be impacted by the amount of rain (18 inches) we experienced in the western communities.

The third statement raised in the ad is totally incorrect. Palm Beach County was not remiss in turning down the Indian Trail Improvement District’s request for drainage assistance during the storm. Neither the Palm Beach County Commission nor the Division of Emergency Management has any authority to approve a request for drainage relief. Furthermore, to our knowledge, the county never received such a request.

By state statute, the only agency that has that authority to approve such a request is the South Florida Water Management District.

The comment regarding our lack of response pertaining to barricades is also incorrect. Emergency Management officials did respond as quickly as we could to locate and provide ITID with barricades. The last statement is completely incorrect. A local State of Emergency was declared on Aug. 25, 2012 at 3 p.m., long before the flooding hit. The Division of Emergency Management went to a Level 2 activation and brought in senior management personnel to organize assistance as necessary.

The EOC was in contact with ITID, the Lake Worth Drainage District, the SFWMD and the Florida Division of Emergency Management during the impact period, and we did not turn down any request for any assistance. To the contrary, we did everything we could to help, including organizing rescues and supply deliveries for stranded residents working with the sheriff, fire-rescue and other agencies. All of your readers should know that emergency response plans expect residents to be prepared to survive on their own for at least three days without assistance in an emergency.

Assistance was actually rendered more quickly. It is respectfully requested you publish this response so your readers are informed that county emergency management personnel did everything they could to assist the residents of the western communities.

If you have any further questions, please contact me at (561) 712-6470.

Assistant County Administrator Vince J. Bonvento, Director, Public Safety Department

County Manager Responds To Ad

Everyone Should Follow The Rules

I am writing in response to the full-page ad that appeared on page 10 of your Feb. 8 Town-Crier regarding Tropical Storm Isaac flooding. There were several inaccuracies that I would like to correct.

The first statement is correct, that the Palm Beach County’s comprehensive emergency management plan does delegate the authority to the Division of Emergency Management to be the lead agency and when necessary issue a local state of emergency. The ad then questions how PBC EOC could be caught by surprise by the

I have been traveling to Wellington from my home up north for nearly three decades. Leaving for Florida has always been the highlight of my year. I am blessed that I have the wherewithal to show a horse and to have a family at home that understands my passion. And what better place to visit than Wellington? At least that’s the way it used to be.

For the past few years though, it’s just not the same. In fact, because of the constant conflict, the annual visit to the Village of Wellington has lost its luster for me.

The constant battling and all of

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the back and forth battles between Mark Bellissimo and the Wellington Village Council has become a major distraction, not just for me, but for a number of folks I compete with at the horse show and others I socialize with when I’m not riding. The latest battles involve permits and the ever-present red tags. Maybe someone can explain to me why this is and why it has become such an issue? Why does Mark Bellissimo wait until the equestrians have arrived in Wellington to obtain the necessary permits? Why isn’t all of that construction done over the summer, and why aren’t all of the many tents erected in the months leading up to the Winter Equestrian Festival? This would allow plenty of time to get the proper permits and get all of the projects approved ahead of time.

Instead, every year, it’s always the same thing; there’s a rush, rush, rush to get things done. And when the projects are not done correctly, or they are completed without the necessary permits, why is that the fault of the village?

Why does Mark Bellissimo continue to blame the council or the Jacobs family for his lack of forethought and planning?

It seems to me that we could have peace and harmony in Wellington if everyone played by the rules, and there wouldn’t be the issues/problems we have today. It is the job of the village to enforce the laws and codes. It is up to the organizers of any event, including WEF and the Global Dressage Festival, to meet the village standards. If the codes and laws are being enforced fairly, why is it anyone’s fault but the organizer when red tags are placed?

Let’s stop the blame game and play by the rules.

Barbara Lundy Jamestown, R.I.

Protect Horse Industry From ‘Gang Of Three’ Much has been written as the Village of Wellington and the Jacobs’ “spin team” have been aggressive in communicating the permitting challenges for this year’s Winter Equestrian Festival.

We have certainly had our challenges and made some mistakes that didn’t occur in prior years.

What has not been discussed is a decision made by the Village of Wellington that affected this year’s permitting process.

WEF is the largest equestrian festival in the world. The event contributes well over $200 million of annual economic impact to Palm Beach County and provides thousands of jobs to the community.

In order to prepare for this 12-week event, thousands of interactions are necessary, including permit requests, design and architectural review meetings, building, engineering and fire inspections; landscaping reviews; water and land management permits; and more to support the tens of thousands of participants who enjoy the event.

Councilman John Greene, Mayor Bob Margolis and Councilman Matt Willhite (the Gang of Three), who form the majority of the Wellington Village Council, in concert with Jacobs’ PR team, point to a former village council that they claim was “lax” and an “out of control” developer as the reasons for this year’s permitting issues. However, the true explanation is the elimination of a critical coordinating process by the village called

the Equestrian Response Team.

These vital ERT meetings have been in place every year that we have run the festival. Starting each October, every other Tuesday, the ERT would assemble all of our building contractors, our management, personnel from the village departments (planning, zoning, engineering, code compliance, etc.) in an effort to coordinate the thousands of interactions necessary to produce this complex, world-renowned event. Up to 25 people would attend these twohour meetings. The goal was to navigate the complexity of the setup from permitting and reviews to final inspections while identifying and solving problems before they occur. This important process enabled this unique and complex event to grow and prosper with minimal problems.

Even with the ERT process, there were still challenges related to a village code, which was not designed to address an event of this complexity or scale. But luckily there was always a spirit of cooperation between a competent village staff and our organization, which has been focused on the continued development of this important industry. As a result, over the last five years, our partnership invested well over $40 million in site improvements in Wellington, and the festival doubled both in size and economic impact to the county. All of this occurred during what was probably the worst financial climate of our lifetimes.

Enter the Gang of Three, propped up by over $600,000 in campaign-related contributions from the Jacobs family, Neil Hirsch and Victoria McCullough.

Their first effort was an unprecedented revocation of the Equestrian Village dressage venue development approvals led by Hirsch and the Jacobs family. That matter is currently the subject of pending litigation. Next was a failed attempt to revoke rights on the main Palm Beach International Equestrian Center show grounds led by McCullough (whose property abuts the show grounds and is now holding competing shows that are sponsored by Jacobs’ interests, using a questionable approval process). And finally, without notice or explanation, the critical ERT meetings were eliminated. By eliminating these critical ERT meetings, I believe the Gang of Three intentionally created a massive coordination problem with the intent to create process failures to embarrass me and my organization.

Only through the dedication and the outstanding efforts of a very competent village staff and the county fire staff were we able to get the festival up and running this year. For the first time, our collective focus wasn’t on growing and enhancing the event but on struggling to get it operational.

I believe the Gang of Three is using village taxpayer money to wage a vindictive private war as payback to its small group of wealthy political allies whose primary “preservation” interests are preserving their great estates.

Unfortunately, the collateral damage extends beyond our organization and includes Wellington’s international reputation, disruption to the local economy, declining morale of village staff, higher village operating costs, increased village legal bills and continued inconvenience to festival customers.

No one was prepared for the impact of cancelled ERT meetings.

BARRY S. MANNING Publisher

JOSHUA I. MANNING Executive Editor

JODY GORRAN Associate Publisher

DAWN RIVERA General Manager

JASON BUD JINSKI Community Editor

RON BUKLEY Managing Editor

EDITORIAL STAFF/ Chris Felker • Denise Fleischman Jessica Gregoire • Lauren Miró CONTRIBUTORS/ Jules Rabin • Ellen Rosenberg • Leonard Wechsler • Deborah W elky ART & PRODUCTION MANAGER/ Stephanie Rodriguez ADVERTISING/ Betty Buglio • Evie Edwards • Wanda Glockson STAFF/ Shanta Daibee • Carol Lieberman • Geri O’Neil

Now that we know this agenda, we can better plan and manage future festivals. However, the question we now face in this community is whether we can stop the Gang of Three before they create irreparable harm to this vital industry, Wellington and Palm Beach County.

Mark Bellissimo, CEO Equestrian Sport Productions

Gonzalez: Let Groves Residents Vote On Campus Writing this letter is probably one of the hardest things I have tried in my life, but I do feel the need to reach for the truth.

I want to clarify a couple of facts regarding Palm Beach State College and the referendum. People say that it is too late. Well, we did talk at the second reading and opposed it, but what did our councilmen do? They brought in over 78 comment cards in favor of the college from Wellington, Royal Palm, Belle Glade, Palm Beach island! Some of them were from residents of Loxahatchee Groves but not registered voters! Most in favor were from friends and family of the council and few were from “independent” registered voters from Loxahatchee Groves.

If you make the count as I did, there were more registered voters opposed to the college than in favor of it. Also, those were collected in one rainy day while the ones in favor were collected in about a week.

So the truth is the council set up a stage trying to show how many people supported the college. I guess they do know that the people from Loxahatchee Groves do not want it, and therefore the council opposes taking it to a vote. Is this the way we want to live, ruled by dictators? They are supposed to represent us.

Let’s stop the abuse of power, the bullying and intimidation. This is the land of the free and the home of the brave! Vote! It is your right.

Don’t believe the lies. Our council did not want to hear us (even though [Councilman Ron] Jarriel said: “The residents’ voices were being heard; we just didn’t agree with them as a council.” According to our charter, we had to wait until the ordinances were in place to repeal them. This is the law. For those saying this process is illegal, they need to educate themselves on FS 163.3167(8) (Remember, our charter was in place back in 2006 and the word “any” means any.)

If it is “illegal,” why has the town’s attorney not stated its illegality and go along with the petition while trying to find technicalities to prevent it from happening?

About the college threatening to sue us claiming FS 70.001, the Bert J. Harris Jr. Private Property Rights Protection Act: The term “property owner” means the person who holds legal title to the real property at issue. The term does not include a governmental entity. On the letter, the attorney excluded the word “private” (“Palm Beach State College”).

Now the council is fighting us with our own money, ordering the attorney to write resolution 2012-

22 expressing support for PBSC and opposing the initiative to repeal the ordinances. What for? All they accomplished by doing this was spend our money to pay the attorney for paperwork that has no legality whatsoever, especially Vice Mayor Jim Rockett. He was the most animated against people voting. His statement was, “I personally don’t even want to take a chance,” and Jarriel visited the members of the committee to persuade them from being on it. I am not exactly sure what tactics he used, but he got four of them to resign.

He also drove some of the committee members to the town’s office to resign. It seems that they are doing anything to stop the people from voting. Why is this college so important to them?

Well, I know some of the answers: upside-down mortgage (personal reason), to put us on the map. “We are not going to be called a redneck town anymore; now we are going to be a college town.” Guess what? We are just going to be the rednecks with a college!

Again, apparently we have a council that is embarrassed to be a council in this town, so they want to convert us. Why don’t they go somewhere else? I moved here because I fell in love with Loxahatchee Groves. I like the country lifestyle with the privilege of having the city close by in case I want to take advantage of it. But I do not want the city in my country back yard.

I am a person who has always fought for justice and fairness. It breaks my heart to see all the manipulation, the anger, the greed and all this from people who are pretending to be good Christians, and all they do is badmouth their neighbor and make up stuff as an incentive to cause hate among neighbors.

Thais Gonzalez Loxahatchee Groves

Support For College Campus Councilman Jim Rockett, you have the opportunity to save the citizens of Loxahatchee Groves thousand of dollars in taxation over their lifetime based on your knowledge of the Palm Beach State College property.

Finding a suitable fit for the current state college property has been ongoing since the early 1990s. The state college is the best fit that anyone could ask for since they maintain their properties, provide their own 24-7 security force, have agreed to share in the cost of OGEM and speed bumps to control traffic on B Road. The state college will always be there!

Additionally, if the property were commercial, if the individual lessee moved out, it could be leased to someone we don’t know or the property may remain vacant for a lengthy period of time. Plus, the state college closes down every night by 10 p.m., is not open on Sundays and observes all major legal holidays.

During the upcoming election, the choice is up to each voting citizen as to who they want to be their neighbor!

Ken Johnson Loxahatchee Groves

The Town-Crier welcomes letters to the editor. Please k eep letters brief (300 words). Submit letters, with contact name, address and telephone number (anonymous letters will not be published), to The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414; fax them to (561) 793-6090; or you can e-mail letters@ goTownCrier.com.

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February 22 - February 28, 2013 Page 5

NEWS

NEW MEMBERS DISPLAY ARTWORK AT MEETING OF WELLINGTON ART SOCIETY The Wellington Ar t Society held a membership meeting Wednesday, Feb. 13 at the Wellington Community Center. New members brought their artwork to show the group, and Nina Fusco gave a demonstration of her 3D paper sculpting. For more info., visit www. wellingtonartsociety.blogspot.com.

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Susan Bilheimer with her India ink drawings.

Sharon Segal with some of her colorful art pieces.

Nina Fusco, the evening’s f eatured presenter, with an example of her 3D paper sculpting.

Mary Destesani displays her pencil drawings.

Hildegard Donavan shows her oil-on-canvas paintings.

Nanci Burnside shows some of her artwork.

IPC’s Wash Honored With 2013 President’s Award From Sports Commission For success in promoting sports tourism in the equestrian community, the International Polo Club Palm Beach and its president, John Wash, have been selected as the recipient of the Palm Beach County Sports Commission’s 2013 President’s Award.

“John Wash is deeply dedicated to growing the sport of polo and its spectator base by spearheading multimillion-dollar enhancements at the International Polo Club, making it a top generator of tourism dollars in our county,” said George Linley, executive director of the Palm Beach County Sports Commission.

Linley added that Wash and IPC also go out of their way to help the community. “In addition, it is his generosity in donating the use of prime polo fields, the stadium facility and resources that allows the Sports Commission to attract national and international sporting events to Palm Beach County, which bring tens of thousands of visitors to our area. It was a unanimous decision by the Hall of Fame Committee.”

In 37 years of presenting the Hall of Fame Banquet and Annual Sports Awards, the President’s Award has only been proffered on four occasions. The Palm Beach

County Hall of Fame Committee is highly selective when determining a standout to receive the prestigious award, only bestowing it when an individual and entity is deserving in any given year.

“Working with George Linley and his team at the Sports Commission is a pleasure,” Wash said.

“It’s exciting to see field hockey and lacrosse being played at IPC during our off-season. Amateur events in Palm Beach County have a $46 million economic impact, and the sports event industry maintains 4,000 jobs. We could not be more proud than to support the mission of bringing amateur sport-

ing events to our area.”

Wash and the International Polo Club will be honored at the 37th annual Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame Banquet and Annual Sports Awards on Sunday, March 24 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach.

Along with the International Polo Club, 2013’s distinguished class of inductees include Andy Roddick, Tim Rosaforte, Dave Barnhardt, Kimmy Carter Bloemers, Gene Calloway, Robert Harris, Sam Howell, Gregory Lowery, Louis Oliver and Dana Quigley.

The Palm Beach County Sports

Commission is a private, not-forprofit organization contracted by Palm Beach County to promote and market the county as a sports and sports tourism destination. The commission brings sporting events and activities to the county, enhances economic impact, stimulates bed tax revenues (with a focus on the off-season), and maximizes utilization of county facilities.

Tickets to the event are available online at the Palm Beach County’s Sports Commission’s web site, www.palmbeachsports. com. The deadline for ticket purchase is March 16.

John Wash

Page 6 February 22 - February 28, 2013

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CRIME NEWS

Wellington Home Burglars Steal $4,400 In Property

By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report FEB. 18 — A resident of Lake Wellington Drive called the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office substation in Wellington on Monday afternoon to report a burglary.

According to a PBSO report, at approximately 4:40 p.m., a witness observed two white males enter the victim’s home through the back window, then flee in a black Ford Explorer. The victim said the perpetrators removed a Macbook Pro laptop computer, 17-inch Acer laptop computer and a briefcase. The stolen items were valued at approximately $4,400. The suspects were described as white males of slight build in their early 20s with dark hair. According to the report, the witness was able to get a license plate number, but there was no further information available at the time of the report.

••• FEB. 13 — A resident of La Mancha contacted the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach last Wednesday evening to report a residential burglary. According to a PBSO report, the victim left home at approximately 9 a.m. and returned home around 5:30 p.m. to find her rear sliding glass door open. According to the report, someone gained entry to the home through the door, which may have been lifted off its track or left unlocked. Once inside, the perpetrator(s) removed a wooden jewelry box containing several pieces of jewelry, including two gold rings with ruby stones and a pink pearl necklace. The stolen items were valued at approximately $2,150. DNA evidence was taken at the scene, but there were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.

FEB. 14 — A resident of the Willows II called the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach last Thursday morning to report a vehicle burglary. According to a PBSO report, sometime between

9:30 p.m. last Wednesday and 7:30 a.m. the following morning, someone entered the victim’s unlocked vehicle and stole her purse containing her credit cards, check book, Social Security card and the remote start key to her vehicle.

DNA evidence was taken at the scene, but there were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.

FEB. 14 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Wellington was dispatched to a home on Christina Drive last Thursday morning regarding a theft. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 5 p.m. last Tuesday and 9 a.m. the following morning, someone entered the property, which is under construction and surrounded by fencing, and removed several rolls of paper and sheet metal used for roofing. The stolen items were valued at approximately $2,090. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.

FEB. 16 — A man was arrested late last Saturday night on drug charges following a traffic stop on Belvedere Road. According to a PBSO report, a witness called the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach to report that a red truck had struck a guardrail on the State Road 7 extension. According to the report, a deputy was dispatched to the area but could not locate the vehicle. Meanwhile, a second deputy was traveling on SR 7 when he observed a red GMC truck with what appeared to be fresh damage on the front right side of the vehicle. According to the report, the deputy observed the vehicle swerve in and out of its lane several times before initiating a traffic stop. The deputy made contact with the driver, 33year-old John Brown of Lauderdale by the Sea. According to the report, the deputy smelled alcohol coming from the vehicle. A search revealed that Brown was in possession of four Xanax pills and a See BLOTTER, page 23

These suspects are wanted in connection with the Feb. 13 grand theft at Total Wine in Wellington.

PBSO Seeks Suspects In Liquor Store Theft FEB. 13 — Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office detectives are seeking the public’s assistance with identifying suspects wanted for grand theft regarding an incident Wednesday, Feb. 13 at the Total Wine & More store in Wellington. According to a PBSO re-

port, a black female and black male entered Total Wine and stole several bottles of liquor before fleeing in a gold Buick.

Anyone who can identify these suspects is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 458-TIPS or text to tips@cspbc.com.

Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County is asking for the public’s help in finding these wanted fugitives: • Taraleika Powell is a black female, 5’4” tall and weighing 130 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes. Her date of birth is 03/ 14/89. Powell is wanted for failure to appear on a charge of possession of cocaine and violation of supervised own recognizance on a charge of possession of cocaine. Her occupation is unknown. Her last known address was at large/homeless.

Powell is wanted as of 02/20/13.

• Robert Darigo, a.k.a. Jim Lovern, Robert Rosetti and Anthony Hiles, is a white male, 6’0” tall and weighing 220 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes. His date of birth is 03/28/71. Darigo is wanted for felony failure to appear on charges of failing to redeliver hired vehicle and grand theft; misdemeanor failure to appear on charges of resisting a merchant and petit theft; and traffic failure to appear on a charge of operating while driver’s license suspended, cancelled or revoked. His occupation is unknown. His last known address was Westhampton Circle in Wellington. Darigo is wanted as of 02/14/13.

Remain anonymous and you may be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward. Call Crime Stopper s at (800) 458-TIPS (8477) or visit www.crimestopperspbc. com.

Taraleika Po well

Robert Darigo

THE INFORMATION FOR THIS BOX IS PROVIDED BY CRIME STOPPERS OF PALM BEACH COUNTY. CRIMESTOPPERS IS WHOLLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT SHOWN HERE.

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February 22 - February 28, 2013 Page 7

Page 8 February 22 - February 28, 2013

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NEWS BRIEFS Lent Sermon Series At St. Michael Church During the season of Lent, now through Easter on March 30, St. Michael Lutheran Church in Wellington will offer a sermon series titled “Questions of Faith.”

Pastor Marjorie Weiss will cover the following topics: Do Only a Select Few Get Saved?; Heaven: What is It? Who Will be There?

Where is It?; If God Loves the Poor, Why are There so Many of them? ; Is God Male, Female, Genderless, Spirit?; Is Faith Really Just About Avoiding Hell?; End Times: What the Heck is the Rapture?; The Prodigal Son and the Older Brother: Heaven and Hell at the Same Party; I Don’t Think I Hear from God: What am I Missing?; Evolution, Adam & Eve, Seven Days: Which is It?; Evil, Did God Create It?; and Atonement: What Really Happened When Jesus Died on the Cross?

If you have ever asked yourself any of the above questions, you are invited to attend and learn more during the sermon series. St. Michael, a progressive Christian congregation, is located on the

northwest corner of Birkdale Drive and Forest Hill Blvd. in Wellington. The community is invited to join on Sundays at 8:30 or 10:45 a.m. and/or on Wednesdays at 12:15 or 7:30 p.m.

For additional information, call Pastor Weiss at (561) 793-4999 or visit the church’s web site at www. stmichaelelc.com.

Ultima Fitness Launches BCX Fusion March 1 Ultima Fitness/Xtreme Tae Kwon Do in Wellington will launch BCx Fusion on Friday, March 1.

BCx Fusion combines BCx Boot Camp and contact kickboxing into one program.

As Ultima Fitness continues to evolve, it is always looking for new fitness programs to stay fresh and current in the industry. Along with the changing needs of Ultima clients, new research is always surfacing on how to obtain the best results in one’s fitness program.

Metabolic conditioning and HIIT (high-intensity interval training) have recently made a name for themselves in the industry. Studies show many benefits of these

styles of training, including increases in strength, a higher caloric burn even after the workout is over, shredding unwanted fat by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system, and an increase in HGH. As a result, Ultma has come up with an idea to accommodate those needs by bringing together the best of both worlds.

This new program will include unlimited BCx classes and unlimited contact kickboxing classes all month long, in addition to a oncea-month nutrition workshop and a once-a-week orientation for the program. Orientations will include testing, photos, measurements, introduction to the programs, special offers and much more.

BCx is the hall of fame of fitness — the best of the best, with an emphasis on changing your physique and changing your life by becoming fit. BCx is broadminded training in a competitive industry of narrow-minded fitness trends and beliefs.

Contact kickboxing is for men and women of any age and fitness level. This is an extreme cardio/toning fitness program for those who want a serious workout with serious results.

No prior experience is necessary

to try the BCx Fusion program. For more information about this or other programs, call (561) 795-2823 or visit www.ultimafitness.com.

Last Call To Enter SFSM Engineering Competition The South Florida Science Museum’s 27th annual engineering competition “Drop It, Build It, Fly It, Launch It, Thrill It” will be held Saturday, March 9. Students from all over will be competing for nearly $5,000 in prize money. Once again, the competition is open to elementary, middle and high school students and the deadline to register is March 1.

Contest entry is free to each registrant and one caregiver, and contestants receive a free lunch for the day. The community is invited to watch the competition, which runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. with discounted museum admission prices.

The contest celebrates engineering ingenuity with entrants showing off their creative skills through five different design con-

tests. Competitors will see if they have a good egg or Humpty Dumpty after their egg container takes a three-story drop from a cherry picker in the “Drop It” competition; or if their bottle rocket will blast off or fizzle out during the “Launch It” competition. Bridges will be built, aerodynamic paper airplanes will be flying and roller coasters will operate as students compete for prize money, which will be awarded to the first through fourth place winners in each category. The competition will be judged by the Florida Engineering Society.

“With over 100 teams actively participating in five science categories, this museum is a beehive of activity on contest day,” said Lew Crampton, museum CEO. The engineering competition is in partnership with the Florida Engineering Society. Due to their support, and the support of generous sponsors, students will have the opportunity to take home nearly $5,000 in prize money.

To register, and for competition rules and regulations, visit www.sfsm.org. Contest entry and lunch are free to each contestant.

In addition, one caregiver per registration will receive free admis-

sion to the museum for the day.

Museum admission will be reduced for visitors that day to $6 for adults and $4 for children.

For more information or to register for “Drop It, Build It, Fly It, Launch It, Thrill It,” call the South Florida Science Museum at (561) 370-7723 or visit www.sfsm.org.

Acreage Tackle Football League Registration The Acreage Tackle Football League is gearing up for the 2013 season. Registration will be held every Saturday in April from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Acreage Community Park (6701 180th Ave. North).

Parents are asked to bring their child and his/her birth certificate to register.

The age divisions and registration fees are as follows: Mighty Mite Division, ages 5 to 7, $220; Prep Division, ages 8 and 9, $220; Freshman Division, ages 10 to 12, $220; Junior Varsity Division, ages 13 and 14, $220; and Varsity Division, ages 15 to 17, $285.

For more information, visit www. acreageyouthfootball.com or call (561) 972-8386.

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February 22 - February 28, 2013 Page 9

NEWS

PBCFR Played Crucial Role In Aftermath Of Tropical Storm Isaac

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Mike Arena told the Royal Palm Beach Village Council this month that his department is proud of its prompt response to the community’s needs over the past year.

Arena presented the department’s annual report at the Feb. 7 council meeting. “One of the biggest events of the year was Tropical Storm Isaac and all the related flooding that we had with that,” he said. “I know most of you were around and saw the operation. The headquarters was right here at the fire station, and we had resources and agencies from all around the state. We have the action reports on it, and we were pleased with the outcome.”

PBCFR divided the area into 146 1-mile grids where they went house-to-house checking on the well-being of residents. “Most were not in the Village of Royal Palm Beach but in the surrounding area,” Arena said.

Vice Mayor Fred Pinto asked Arena to explain the lessons learned from Isaac. “There has

been a lot of consternation and conversation still going on about that event,” Pinto said. “I remember when you put together this massive team to go out there and find if people were blocked in their homes and whether people needed food or water.”

Arena said the event was not a typical one for the department. “It was an unusual circumstance,” he said. “It seems like our most challenging incidents over the years have been the ones when we tended to let our guard down a bit. We thought this was just going to be a rain event with very little wind.

All the predictions showed it barely hitting Palm Beach County. Unfortunately, the rain sat on us, which caused a lot of the problems that we had to deal with.”

The flooding from Isaac was isolated in the central western communities, Arena said. “The majority of the rest of the county was not affected at all,” he said.

“In fact, many people did not realize that we had the operation going that we did. We had floods in Jupiter back in the 1990s, but it was nowhere the magnitude of what we had here. But that’s what we

pride ourselves on — when people don’t know who to call, we somehow try to figure out and coordinate the resources.”

Arena pointed out that the operation was a cooperative effort with agencies including the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the Division of Emergency Management. “We were just coordinating everything out of the fire station here locally, but it was by no means simply a fire-rescue effort,” he said.

Councilman Jeff Hmara said he heard many stories about PBCFR providing critical connections during Isaac’s flooding. “That assurance of knowing you’re not alone in a disaster situation, which of course you all do routinely and do very well, and the flexibility that you all demonstrate to be able to meet the needs of this unusual situation I think are certainly commendable,” he said.

Over the past year, medical calls headed the list of 3,495 Royal Palm Beach calls from Oct. 1, 2011 through Sept. 30, 2012, at 74 percent. The next largest category was auto or boating accidents, at 10 percent. Eight percent were re-

sponses to alarms and 5 percent were assists or investigations, while only 3 percent were fire calls.

“The activity has remained pretty constant for the past five years,” Arena said. “Of those calls, we’ve managed an average of five minutes and 48 seconds to all the calls in the village, which has stayed constant for the last four years.”

Transports are the largest part of the PBCFR workload. “Out of 2,590 medical calls that we were dispatched to, 2,126 of those resulted in transporting a patient to a hospital,” Arena said. “Out of those calls, 322 were car accidents, where there may or may not have been injuries that we took to local hospitals or trauma centers. Both of those numbers have stayed relatively consistent over the last three or four years.”

Structure fires, although the smallest percentage of calls, are generally the most serious, especially when there are people inside.

“We presently have the same response criteria we’ve had over the last couple of years, where we’re responding three of our fire engines, two of our rescue transport vehicles, the latter out of Sta-

tion 29 over by Belvedere, an EMS captain and a shift commander to command all the resources on that scene,” Arena said. “If more resources are needed, they are called. The majority of our incidents are handled with those resources.”

Fire stations and personnel have remained unchanged since last year. “We still are maintaining the two stations within the village limits proper and the outlying stations in the region that respond when additional resources are needed,” Arena said. “All the stations are staffed 24 hours a day with the same amount of people around the clock.”

PBCFR has a capital program that provides for periodic replacement of vehicles. “As they reach their normal age, they are typically replaced,” he said. “We budget for them in the budget cycle, and we plan for them accordingly. Our rescue ambulance trucks typically have anywhere from a sevento nine-year lifespan. Our engines, we try to stay within an 11- to 12year lifespan, and typically our staff vehicles are around seven years.”

The department recently got a brush wild-land vehicle to help get to remote areas that are difficult for the larger brush trucks. “It’s a smaller unit we purchased for them in the county, and we’re trying it as a different type of tool in the toolbox,” Arena said. “We have to be able to get access to certain areas that the big trucks may have a harder time, and one of those is right here.”

The department also has a community assistance team, which responds to crises including deaths, significant car accidents and fires to help surviving families get on the track to recovery.

PBCFR also participated in numerous special events during the past year at schools, churches and other venues. The first responders are preparing to do some demonstrations for the opening of the new Royal Palm Beach Commons Park on March 2.

The department conducted 1,225 fire inspections over the past year, which is consistent with previous years. It also spent more than 18,000 annual contact hours in community education in Royal Palm Beach.

Lox Groves Workshop Focuses On Southern Blvd. Development

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Town of Loxahatchee Groves conducted a workshop Thursday, Feb. 14 on the future of commercial development along Southern Blvd.

Last June, the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council enacted a moratorium on comprehensive land-use plan amendments that were not already in place and in August directed the town’s management company to draft amendments that would correct issues in the comp plan related to development, explained Town Manager Mark Kutney, who led the workshop.

The workshop was the second of two. One took place in December, focusing on development on Okeechobee Blvd. “This is the second meeting, and this one is focused on Southern Blvd., although we want to hear about Okeechobee Blvd. as well,” Kutney said.

Town planning consultant Jim Fleischmann said the purpose of the workshop was to discuss land-use activities along the Southern Blvd. corridor. Town staff is in the process of writing

60th Street

Permit Approved

continued from page 1 been planned in this process,” Erickson said. “It will help relieve some of the other roads that are already connected, and the big relief is going to come forward when we get to Northlake.”

Erickson also pointed out that the three-lane concept was for the benefit of the residents along 60th Street for people to get in and out of their driveways, not about developing a superhighway.

County Engineer George Webb said the county has been pursuing the SR 7 extension for at least eight years, and that ITID’s approving permits for the county to connect to Persimmon and Orange Grove was predicated on ITID’s trust of the county’s pledge to continue the road northward to 60th Street and, ultimately, to Northlake.

“We don’t want this to be the end-all of this road,” Webb said.

“We’re going to work on getting that road extended. We have a vi-

comp plan amendments and wants recommendations from property owners along the corridor to incorporate in the plan.

The current Southern Blvd. corridor includes a mix of residential, agricultural and commercial uses.

Fleischmann said some commercial spaces along the corridor do not carry commercial land-use designations. “That’s something we can take care of during this process,” he said.

The town’s Southern Blvd. corridor extends north to Collecting Canal from west of A Road to east of F Road. Agriculture is far and away the most dominant use in the corridor, with 396 acres out of 695 total acres.

The predominant equestrian area in the corridor is on some fairly large parcels just north of Loxahatchee Groves Park. Nurseries in the corridor are on the west side of D and F roads.

Single-family residential is the second-highest use, with 59 residential parcels and a total of 61 dwelling units.

The zoning district that encompasses most of the corridor is agricultural residential, Fleischmann said. The minimum lot size for ag-

ricultural residential is 5 acres, but most of the residential lots are less than 5 acres, with 51 percent of the residential parcels on less than a half-acre.

“You can see that most of the residential parcels are inconsistent with the current agricultural residential zoning districts,” Fleischmann said.

In addition to the residential units on residential-zoned parcels, there are 21 residential units on parcels designated agricultural.

“There is a grand total of 82 residential units located within the corridor,” Fleischmann said. “They are concentrated primarily between C and E roads. That’s what I would call the residential core area of the corridor.”

From the west, commercial parcels begin with a 20-acre area just west of A Road, which is a paintball operation that received a commercial recreation designation before incorporation.

“It’s a commercial use, but it does not have a commercial landuse designation,” Fleischmann said, explaining that the town will not take away rights the owner had been approved for previously, but the owner would have to come to

the town for future approvals.

The parcel at the northwest corner of B Road and Southern Blvd. is the 75-acre Palm Beach State College site and the 23-acre commercially zoned Loxahatchee Commons, which is slated for about 95,000 square feet of commercial and office development.

Moving to the east, the 75-acre Solar Sportsystems property on the northeast corner of Southern Blvd. and B Road has a mixed-use designation including designations of commercial-low, commercial-low office and institutional.

Fleischmann said the developer is limited to 103,000 square feet of retail, 44,000 square feet of office space and a 128-bed assisted living facility. A300-foot buffer is also mandated along the south side of Collecting Canal Road.

Moving farther east, three parcels before the Shell gas station are all vacant. The next parcel east of the Shell station is also vacant.

The next parcel to the east is the Loxahatchee AG Supermarket, followed by the U.S. Post Office, Palms West Plaza, and a vacant lot where truck rentals are stored.

Moving farther east across D Road is an animal hospital, then a

vacant parcel that has an approval for 37,408 square feet of banking and professional office uses.

Moving to the east side of Loxahatchee Groves Park is the 26,000-square-foot Grove Medical Plaza, currently under construction. The next parcel is the Farmer’s Daughter produce market, followed by Everglades Farm Equipment east of F Road.

Fleischmann noted that Southern Blvd. is designated in the state’s strategic intermodal system and a roadway deemed to be critical to Florida’s economic future and critical in the event of an emergency.

There are currently two traffic lights, at B and F roads, and seven median cuts. The current traffic counts between B and F roads are about 34,000 per day, and from F Road to Forest Hill Blvd., about 43,000 trips per day.

“FDOT has plans to expand the roadway from four to six lanes from Lion Country Safari east to Forest Hill Blvd. in the near future,” Fleischmann said. “The project development report was completed in March 2012. The design state, including location of drainage pond locations, is currently funded and

is scheduled for completion in September 2015.”

Construction is scheduled to commence in 2016 but has not been entirely funded.

Fleischmann pointed out that FDOT has identified a series of potential drainage ponds on the north side of Southern Blvd.

“They haven’t determined specifically where these drainage ponds are going to be located, but that decision is going to be made relatively soon, and we’ll be part of the right-of-way acquisition process,” he said. “It could certainly have some impact on future development along the corridor.”

Resident Elise Ryan noted that FDOT had been asked to locate the retention ponds nearer to Collecting Canal Road so the town could use them for water storage and also for recreational purposes.

Fleischman said he has a series of maps that identify possible retention areas. “It was pretty obvious to me that they were looking to locate them north,” he said. “If we can combine them to also enhance our water supply and some of our wetland areas, that would be a preferred alternative.”

sion, and the vision was to go another mile north and tie into a brand-new roadway that only has residents on one side — a road that was going to be a Palm Beach County right-of-way.”

Webb explained that the 60th Street connection will relieve the two residential streets that have had to bear the burden from the traffic that has been using the SR 7 extension.

“We’re here tonight kind of as a celebration in that we said what we were going to do, and we think we’ve done it,” Webb said.

“We’ve got the money. We’re ready to move forward with the project and provide relief for those other two roadways and to focus and provide a section that we said we were going to build seven years ago.”

In November, the board had specified that the connection be reduced from three lanes to two, but Webb said the third lane is a two-way left-turn lane and will enable residents on 60th Street to turn left off the road and onto the road safely. He said it is not intended as a passing lane and that the county’s commitment to put

curbed, landscaped medians in the road would prevent motorists from using it that way.

He also pointed out that the county will clear out the invasive melaleuca trees that are on the south side of the M Canal now.

“That’s where the road is going to be,” Webb said.

The county plans to plant more than 250 trees and 1,000 clumps of ornamental grass. “We’re trying to do what we can to make this thing look good,” Webb said. “This is going to be the main connector to State Road 7. We want it to be that way. We want people in The Acreage to use this as the main way of getting there, rather than using Orange Grove or Persimmon.”

Supervisor Ralph Bair asked about the status of the 60th Street Bridge, which is scheduled to be improved across Royal Palm Beach Blvd. to improve visibility for drivers. Webb said the current project will put them within a few hundred feet of the bridge.

“What we’re planning on doing is coming back with another permit,” Webb said, explaining that they also have to get a permit from the City of West Palm Beach, since

the bridge crosses the city-owned M Canal.

The entire intersection will be raised in order to improve visibility across the bridge. “That’s the next step in the project,” he said, adding that a traffic signal also is planned there.

ITID President Jennifer Hager said she was torn because she had moved to The Acreage for the dirt roads but also wanted to relieve traffic on Persimmon. “I use that road multiple times during the day and on weekends,” she said. “It is a nightmare.”

Hager was also concerned about future paving to the west on 60th Street, which is planned to continue to 140th Avenue North. “Who is to say it’s not going to just keep on coming?” she asked.

Hager also asked whether the speed limit could be reduced to 30 mph, explaining that she rides horses at 130th Avenue North and 60th Street. “That personally affects me and all the other people who have activities on the roads out here,” she said.

Webb said traffic speed studies could be conducted when the

project is finished.

Supervisor Michelle Damone said the project has been a compromise but must be completed in order to be successful. “This is a key component,” she said. “This is that middle key to that entire project going north to Northlake Blvd.”

Damone said she heard that the state has put money into the engineering portion of the SR 7 extension to Northlake Blvd. “We promised the people on Persimmon and Orange Grove that if they took a leap of faith with us that we would move this forward,” she said.

Supervisor Carol Jacobs said she had been against the Persim-

mon and Orange Grove connections initially but talked to residents and finally decided that if they didn’t open those connections, they would never get the road to Northlake.

“If we don’t open them up now, we’re never going to get to Northlake,” Jacobs said. “We use them in The Acreage, so it’s obviously needed. If we don’t want 60th, we’re going to never get to Northlake.”

Damone made a motion to approve the county’s requested permit for the 60th Street connection without the conditions demanded in November. The motion carried 5-0.

RPB Relay Team Party Feb. 28 At MarBar Grille Residents of Royal Palm Beach are invited to a Relay for Life team party Thursday, Feb. 28 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the MarBar Grille at Madison Green (2001 Crestwood Blvd.). The goal of the party is to bring all the teams together and start the celebration of life.

The party is in preparation for the Royal Palm Beach Relay for Life set for Saturday and Sunday, April 6 and 7 at Royal Palm Beach High School (10600 Okeechobee Blvd.).

RSVP to relayforliferpb@aol. com or call Krista at (561) 436-7498.

Page 10 February 22 - February 28, 2013

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NEWS

SECOND ANNUAL WELLINGTON IDOL’S AUDITION ROUND HELD AT AMPHITHEATER Live auditions were held for the second annual Wellington Idol on Saturday, Feb. 16 at the Wellington Amphitheater. More than 20 contestants auditioned for a chance to compete in the semifinals on Friday, Feb. 22. This year’s judges are Mark Hagan, Danielle “Ouida” Williams and returning judge Rocky Duvall. For more info., visit www.wellingtonfl.gov.

PHOTOS BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER

Anthony Trevino sings “Please Don’t Go Girl.”

Lexi Luca sings “As Long as You Love Me.”

Contestant Stevie Halloway with his parents Steve and Laurie.

Alexa Tolstonog sings “Over You.”

Roger Jackson sings “And I am Telling You” from Dream Girls .

Maria Moncelli sings “Rolling in the Deep.”

Taylor Neuman, Rachel Reckseit, Taylor Kaplan, Nikki Collado, and Lyndsay Luca watch the auditions.

Emily Shecter sings “Pulled.”

Mike Soper Music owner Mike Soper (center) with James and Robin Shecter, and Joel and Janna Zaidspiner, parents of Soper’s clients who are in the competition.

RPB COMMUNITY BAND HOSTS ‘SWEETHEART CONCERT’ ON VALENTINE’S DAY

The Royal Palm Beach Community Concert Band held a “Sweetheart Concert” Tuesday, Feb. 12 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. Hundreds of people packed the center’s auditorium for a chance to listen to the medleys performed by the 60-member band.

PHOTOS BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER

The band plays a song from Bye Bye Birdie.

Conductor Ben Skinner leads the band.

The band performed songs from musicals such as Les Misérables and artists such as Frank Sinatra.

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February 22 - February 28, 2013 Page 11

WELLINGTON’S EQUESTRIAN PRESERVE – its past, present and future Wellington’s Equestrian Preserve Area has come to a fork in the bridle trail – 15 years after the concept was first introduced – and the paths ahead will lead to very different futures, according to both the man credited as its architect and the village official in charge of implementing it.

The concept was unveiled 15 years ago in a community workshop in which Wellington residents gathered to help create the newly formed municipality’s long-term planning documents. Ken Adams, a longtime western communities leader and equestrian, shared his vision of a unique set of protections for Wellington’s equestrian communities.

Although the preserve was defined during those workshops that led to the adoption of the village comprehensive plan’s Equestrian Preservation Element in 1999, mostly through a set of goals, it still is very much a work in progress. That part of the plan has been updated several times over the years, but Village Manager Paul Schofield admits that many residents have only a vague idea what it is.

“The Equestrian Preserve means a lot of things to a lot of different people, and very few people actually have a clear understanding what it is,” Schofield said. “That is in part because when it was put in the comprehensive plan, I don’t think that they had a clear understanding of what it was.”

Adams, who had been on the Palm Beach County Commission during the push to incorporate Wellington and also chaired the committee formed to write the village’s first charter, agreed.

William “Bill” Ylvisaker, playing for Piaget at right, leans in for a block against #3 Memo Gracida Photo by David Lominska

ONE MAN’S VISION BECOMES WELLINGTON’S EQUESTRIAN LEGACY

BY JANE VICTORIA SMITH

What was once the world’s largest strawberry patch in the 1950s would become the hub of international polo and the catalyst for creating the winter equestrian capital of the world two decades later.

Photo by David Lominska

William “Bill” Ylvisaker, the polo-playing chairman of Gould Inc., made it all possible. In 1977, Gould Florida paid $3.5 million for half interest in the fledgling Wellington development, then envisioned simply as an expansive upscale suburbia. Suburbia shifted when Ylvisaker proposed turning 2,250 acres of the development into a polo resort.

“We owe him everything,” says Carlos Arellano, a longtime Wellington real estate broker whose son, Julio, is one of Wellington’s home-grown polo players.

In 1979, Arellano would come to Wellington to play polo in the evenings. During the day he was a rice farmer in the Glades.

He was a 3-goal player from Nicaragua. Arellano was like so many others whose lives changed course because of Ylvisaker’s vision.

After Palm Beach Polo and Country Club lured people to Wellington, Arellano sold real estate in Wellington’s south end to other polo enthusiasts and ensured that his children followed in his stir-

rups. Son, Julio, is the highest ranked U.S. player at 9 goals. His two other sons and three grandchildren also play polo.

He remembers Ylvisaker’s passion for creating the happening that became Palm Beach Polo and Country Club.

“One time, we had a big rain. So he sent a helicopter to dry the fields,” Arellano recalls. “He also brought Prince Charles and Princess Diana here.”

The equestrian legacy that Ylvisaker brought to Wellington is what defines it today.

“Without the draw of the horse,” says George DuPont, executive director of the National Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame, “Wellington would be just another upscale community about 14 miles from the coast.”

“My dad played polo internationally, says Laurie Ylvisaker, “and he saw that real estate around a polo center appreciated greatly. Everyone in Florida has golf and water, but only Wellington has polo. It started with five polo fields.”

Today, there are 69 polo fields in Wellington. In addition, there are hundreds of practice and competition rings, and thousands of paddocks. During high season, Wellington is home to more than 12,000 horses, according to data the Village of Wellington has gathered.

Wellington’s equestrian community provides a direct economic impact of nearly $185.5 million to the area, according to a 2011 study, for a total of nearly $600 million when secondary impacts, such as jewelry purchases, are included.

“The money (the equestrian community) brings to Wellington is phenomenal,” says retired Olympic jumper Michael Matz, who won a silver medal in the 1996 Olympics. Matz used to bring 20-30 horses down from Pennsylvania. He now trains race horses, but his kids still show horses at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington.

It started with the first polo season in 1978. That year the clubhouse opened along with the stadium. Ylvisaker had held cocktail receptions for his friends up north, inviting them to buy a villa overlooking the fields. By the early 1980s, big-name sponsors already set the stage for the pageantry, and Palm Beach Polo and Country

Carlos Gracida, left and His Royal Highness Prince Charles at the awards ceremony, 1988

Please see

Photo by Kenneth Kraus/Phelps Media Group

All because one man had a vision for Wellington.

Ken and Arle Adams “My overriding goal at that time was to incorporate Wellington,” he said. “Of course, the equestrian element wasn’t anywhere near to the extent that it is now. But nonetheless, we had Prince Charles playing polo here, and you could smell the potential [of the equestrian industry]. I didn’t know exactly where, but it was here. I didn’t know what direction it would take. I knew there were many, many – and there still are – equestrian disciplines that we don’t have in Wellington,” Adams said.

The preserve consists of roughly 11 square miles that takes in most of the village’s southern half, as well as Little Ranches on Wellington’s northeast edge, where Adams lived at the time.

Rustic Ranches, on the west side of Flying Cow Road, was added when the village annexed it around 2004.

“It’s broken up into what are essentially three distinct parts,” Schofield explained. “Most of it is in the area south of Pierson Road, with the exception of Saddle Trail and one of the Paddock Park neighborhoods. That is the bulk of it.”

While the preserve lacked much specific definition at its inception, it still lacks a definite overall vision, which is a problem that both Adams and village officials recognize and want to see resolved. To that end, the village’s Equestrian Preserve Committee is working on an equestrian master plan right now that officials

VISION Page 4

Please see

PRESERVE Page 3 2

EQUESTRIAN MASTER PLAN Where do we go from here??

Equestrians, city leaders, and their planning staff agree that building a long-term plan for Wellington’s equestrian future begins with creating a vision.

But no one has yet decided what that vision should look like or even who should help create it. It seems most likely that an expansion of equestrian disciplines or venues might come to Wellington only through an expansion of the Equestrian Preserve by annexing more land, possibly including the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center on the village’s eastern edge.

A rare joint meeting between the Wellington Village Council and its Equestrian Preserve Committee that took place in mid-December brought forth the array of opinions, including Mayor Bob Margolis’ request that annexation be explored. It came near the end of a two-year data-gathering exercise that produced reams of facts, some opinion, but little consensus about how to plan for the future.

Big-picture questions include how to enhance and protect its equestrian industry, whether Wellington should pursue becoming a year-round equestrian destination, whether more equestrian-related commercial is welcome in the preserve, and even what constitutes equestrian commercial.

Creating an equestrian master plan has been contemplated almost since Wellington incorporated as its own government in 1996. But the need to preserve what has become Wellington’s hallmark was driven home vividly both times its original major venues changed hands, and it seemed possible Wellington would lose the venues that created its equestrian character, Village Manager Paul Schofield said. The long-term vision and plan should prevent a repeat of Wellington’s past “where polo at Palm Beach Polo simply disappeared over time, and it came back at IPC, (International Polo Club),” he said. “How do we make sure there’s not a transition that happens again like that, which is sort of by happenstance.”

Photo by Joe Cascio Photography

Special section sponsored by the Wellington Equestrian Preservation Alliance

Page 1

Schofield reminded the council and its committee that all the major venues and even most of Wellington’s trail system is privately owned land, which limits Wellington’s ability to protect, enhance or improve it.

“You have the seeds of a master plan put out here tonight,” Schofield said. “I do think you have to develop a vision of what you want the equestrian area to look like in 20 years. The people who should decide what it should look like are the members of the Equestrian Preserve Committee.”

Equestrian Preserve Committee Chairwoman Cynthia Gardner said she doubted her committee had the time or expertise to create such a plan. But she shared that if it’s a goal to bring other equestrian disciplines to Wellington, they should be complementary to those already in Wellington. And Wellington should look at finding land west of the existing preserve where land costs less.

“It’s not economically feasible to build another facility in the existing preserve boundaries,” because land is so valuable, she said.

If we want to include more disciplines, “we need to annex land and we need to move west – and we need to take control,” Gardner said.

Vice Mayor Howard Coates agreed that making any major changes within the existing preserve isn’t feasible.

“No matter where we put a large equestrian venue within the Equestrian Preserve, it’s going to be a lightning rod of debate, dissension and division. I want to see a year-round (equestrian industry), but I don’t want to alter our existence in the Equestrian Preserve Area, and if you start putting more in the Equestrian Preserve, you’re going to destroy that area.”

Coates suggested exploring K Park, a 69-acre parcel fronting U.S. 441 that Wellington bought for recreation, as a possible location for other equestrian activities.

Wellington’s Equestrian Heritage

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PLAN Page 2

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Photo by Joe Cascio Photography

TRAFFIC…WHO HAS THE SOLUTION? Wellington is moving ahead with road improvements and efforts to separate horse, golf cart and car traffic in the Equestrian Preserve Area despite the lack of an overall plan for the community.

A mix of shell rock that is easier on horses’ hooves has been applied to several unpaved southern roads, and work has been done or is being researched to enhance the bridle trail network, according to reports given at the joint Village Council-Equestrian Preserve Committee workshop on Dec. 12.

Some village officials – along with Ken Adams, who originated the idea of the preserve – think Wellington should consider more ambitious traffic engineering, such as equine overpasses or horse tunnels, known as “hunnels.”

And once again there’s talk of finding a way to send traffic around rather than through the Equestrian Preserve.

A byproduct of building a destination equestrian community immediately adjacent to a massive suburbia is the dangerous traffic issues inherent when cars and horses are in close proximity.

Well before Wellington incorporated into its own municipal government and many years before most of the population arose, the community already was searching for solutions to keeping horses and cars separate.

There are solutions, says Mike O’Dell, who is coordinating Wellington’s equestrian master plan project.

Some are simply a matter of engineering and dollars. Other ideas, like rerouting traffic or acquiring more land for bridle trails, require political will, and often, negotiations with private property owners.

“One aspect of giving value to the community does appear to be the improvement of our bridle path system, giving the ability for the farm owner to exit out of a farm onto a bridle path

and not onto a roadway,” O’Dell said.

“Trying to improve horse and rider safety is very key, and I think that is one of the aspects we can look at.”

Wellington’s equestrian trail system was born from the need to remove horses from roads when less-travelled dirt roads made an appealing place for grooms to exercise a string of polo ponies. Riding them seven-abreast, grooms slowed or blocked traffic on some roads in the late 1980s. Community leaders offered the canal banks as an alternative, and the beginnings of the trail system was born. Today, it’s

horses in; they want to be out on the perimeters where it’s quiet,” he said.

“We have a trail system that runs throughout the village. Half of that trail system is not even in public ownership. The single most heavily traveled equestrian trail in the village is not in public hands. It is all on private property. But we need to find some way to get that in public ownership.”

Several unpaved roads, including Indian Mound, 120th, 103rd, 125th and 130th, have been covered with the shellrock more suitable to horse and rider, O’Dell said.

Photo by Joe Cascio Photography

A horse takes itself for a gallop down Greenbriar Blvd. after losing his rider during the Winter Equestrian Festival. Neither horse nor rider was injured. a combination of public and private property, creating liability and maintenance issues, Village Manager Paul Schofield says.

“In the parts of the village where the use is predominantly hunter-jumper, we need a trail system that connects to the venues. Where they’re predominantly dressage, they’re not riding their

“But posting those and reducing those speed limits is probably one of the best things that we could do for those particular areas,” he said Another key to safety is separating horses from golf carts, a favorite mode of transportation in the equestrian areas. O’Dell said Wellington is “looking at creating separate travel lanes for

golf carts, horses, and vehicles where we can” along South Shore Boulevard and the adjacent C-4 Canal.

Councilwoman Anne Gerwig asked whether a horse overpass was feasible, and O’Dell said, “There are a number of different plans out there that have looked at the concept of putting an overpass there in many different formats, and I think that if we put some good engineering minds together, we can come up with something that works, and it will work within the right-of-way area that we have.”

Both Adams and Cynthia Gardner, chairwoman of Wellington’s Equestrian Preserve Committee, said Wellington already has examples of such solutions. While never built with horse and riders in mind, Adams and Gardner both admit to riding under Forest Hill Boulevard via the golf cart underpass.

The underpass was built to take golfers to the portion of Palm Beach Polo’s original golf course built on the north side of Forest Hill Boulevard.

“That cart path tunnel was used for years as part of the Fox Hunt,” Gardner said.

Adams also said he believes there’s no reason an overpass or hunnel at the South Shore-Pierson intersection would not be doable. “It can be done,” he said. “There are models out there.”

Meanwhile, Adams and Vice Mayor Howard Coates are reviving a controversial discussion about routing traffic around the Equestrian Preserve.

It hasn’t been debated since Lake Worth Road was widened to four lanes east of South Shore Boulevard.

“We need to ask ourselves if there is a traffic solution not just within the Equestrian Preserve Area but outside as well, and if there is a circulation pattern that is better for that area,” Coates said.

When Lake Worth Road was widened, Wellington debated whether the road should continue west of South Shore Boulevard, ultimately linking with Flying Cow Road on Wellington’s western edge. Council members at the time debated whether such a connection would be beneficial to Wellington or whether it would encourage drivers

heading northwest to use it as a shortcut. Much of Wellington’s equestrian community said then that they believed such a connection would harm the Equestrian Preserve. Some council members worried that stopping the road at South Shore has funneled the traffic through Wellington instead. Adams said he believes such a connection makes sense today.

“I know what I’m asking will be argumentative and very challenging,” Adams said. “The only thing we can do with all this seasonal traffic is to spread it across other roads. There is a way to add one more east-west road so that it takes part of the traffic off Pierson.

That would be to connect Flying Cow to serve 50th Street and serve the south end.” He adds that residents in Rustic Ranches off Flying Cow, now a part of Wellington and an Equestrian Preserve Area community, must drive out to Southern and then back into Wellington to access the equestrian venues.

“The village is doing one good thing,” Adams added, “and that is paving 50th Street and tying in to State Road 7 so that’ll be a paved entrance into the major development that’s going on down there. That should eventually connect around to Flying Cow Road.”

Adams also suggests that some of the traffic concerns could more easily be solved if the equestrian community created a foundation or a pubic-private partnership with the village.

Schofield said, “I think that a public-private partnership has some real merit. You are never going to get the entire Equestrian Preserve in that, but … there should be some public equestrian facility. The trails should be in public control and ownership so that they can’t be closed off.

“But the equestrians themselves have to develop that plan,” he added.

“A foundation and public property is a good idea. But the private property owners have to agree to it. They’re the people that have to understand that preservation of the equestrian community is in not only their own best interests, but they are the people who ultimately control it.”

PLAN

continued from Page 1 Equestrian Preserve Committee members Linda Smith Faver and Michael Whitlow hold other opinions about the best course for the future.

“I think what I would like to see us do is to enhance what we have rather than develop what’s not there yet,” Smith Faver said. “I think a public park where the competitors can exercise their horses and the trail riders would ride …

I think that could be something the state or the county could get involved in.”

Michael Whitlow added, “I don’t necessarily believe that bigger is better, and I think our overall goal should be [to be] the best of the best, the elite of the elite, and we’re in a great position to be that. I would rather see Wellington be the best of the best in what we are rather than dilute the entire community.”

One area of agreement that may

Equestrian disciplines across Wellington’s Equestrian Preserve Area Special section sponsored by the Wellington Equestrian Preservation Alliance

Page 2

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not need to wait on the long-term vision is improvements to the roads, horse trails, and possibly even traffic patterns to enhance safety from traffic in the Equestrian Preserve. Council members advocated not only for a way to separate horses from cars but perhaps to examine separating suburban traffic from the Equestrian Preserve.

“Trying to get traffic around rather than through is something I think should be looked at,” Coates said.

“Is a horse overpass feasible,” Councilwoman Anne Gerwig asked, “or is it too difficult and too expensive to acquire the right-of-way?”

Plenty of options exist, said Michael O’Dell, project manager.

“Put some good engineering minds there, and I think there are good plans that will work.”

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hope will garner support from the community and take the preserve in a direction where it will continue to be viable and vibrant, as it is today.

“There’s one goal in the original Equestrian Preservation Element, and that’s to ensure the preservation and protection of neighborhoods that comprise this area, the equestrian industry and the rural lifestyle which exists in the EP. It basically said we limit traffic, and so, that element has evolved over time. There was an amendment we did to it in 2006, where we significantly expanded the scope of the EP, and it went from three pages to five pages,” Schofield said.

“It’s aspirational in nature, and it basically says that we’ll develop some rules to help preserve it. It is not a ‘preserve’ in the sense that whatever was there the day it was adopted can never change. It was not intended to do that; it was intended to make sure that over time, we preserve the equestrian element of Wellington.”

The mostly rural area includes some unique neighborhoods that support the equestrian lifestyle, large and small horse farms, some nurseries, polo fields and equestrian competition venues. When the preserve was formed, the village was the first and only municipality in Florida to put protections for an equestrian area into its state-required comprehensive plan, Adams said. Since then, Ocala has also acted to protect some of its equestrian areas as well, he said.

Some of the guarantees contained within the document are: a commitment to only two-lane roads within the preserve; large-lot development; limited commercial uses; and an equestrian transportation system that attempts to separate vehicles from horses as much as possible.

The Equestrian Preserve has been a big success in several ways, but it also is facing some challenges that have arisen mainly due to the robust equestrian industry’s growing pains.

Photo by Jamie Konrady

continued from Page 1

Bill Ylvisaker at right, awards the trophy to Pony Express, winners of the 2005 Ylvisaker Cup at International Polo Club Palm Beach Adams recalled the industry as it existed when the preserve was established: “Of course, polo was the first big international draw. Dressage has [come here since]; hunter/jumper was here, very small. When Bill Ylvisaker decided to build seven polo fields here, a friend of mine named John Oxley owned polo down in Boca, and he sued Ylvisaker.” The claim was that there would never be that much polo played in the area and that he would put Oxley’s development out of business.

Adams called that shortsighted.

“Now, there are over 60 privately owned polo fields in Wellington. That’s (the equivalent of) 580 football fields that won’t have high-rise development on them but still bring financial benefit to the city – huge, big time.”

Schofield said the community has gained fame and prestige because of the foresight that gave birth to the Equestrian Preserve.

“When I travel around the country, people know Wellington because of our horses. But there’s a mistaken impression that this is small homes and pole barns. That is not what it is at all.

When you look at the development of the EP over time, its real value in the horse estates has come with the competitive venues. So polo and the Winter Equestrian Festival are two things that made Wellington what it is today. You

don’t get to be the winter equestrian capital of the world by just having barns. You’ve got to have some place for people to jump their horses or play polo,” he said.

There was no invasion of “mcmansion” builders during the real-estate boom of the early 2000s, Schofield said, largely due to provisions of the Equestrian Overlay Zoning District, the zoning rules that further define how the Equestrian Preservation Area can be developed.

“To some extent it is protected,” he said, “but what everybody has to remember is that almost all that land is exclusively in private ownership. So the people who own 5 acres or 10 acres or 50 acres, they have some basic right to [develop their property appropriately].

But what they really don’t have a right to do is say, ‘OK, I’m going to take my five-acre farm and I’m going to buy the five around me, and I’m going to put a 10-story condominium on it.’ ” The influx of horses, riders, trainers, grooms and farriers during the winter/spring season, along with all the supporting industries, have led to construction of some large barns in the area, many of which contain stalls that are rented, and that has led to traffic and other headaches that were not originally envisioned in the equestrian preserve plan.

“I think that I agree with Ken Adams in that it is kind of vague and wasn’t necessarily as well thought out as it could’ve been,” Schofield said. “And if you look at the original document (you could find that) we’ve done everything we’re supposed to, and the Equestrian Preserve is peachy keen. Nothing outside the rules is going on out there. I can tell you that there’s nothing further from the truth than that.”

The village has been struggling for years, he said, to get the equestrian community to agree to limits on their own properties, including number of horses, size of barns and intensity of activities. Also, there’s a definite schism among the equestrians of various disciplines about the balance between a desirable rural lifestyle and the pressures for further development that the industry’s success has created.

It’s the differing visions, Adams believes, that is the major challenge facing the Equestrian Preserve’s future.

“It is creating a framework of that vision. I think you have to start higher than just planning code and regulations. You have to start with creating a vision. We use the term ‘world-class equestrian center.’ Well, we have two disciplines here now, if dressage sticks and I think it will - that actually com-

pete in the Olympics. The U.S. Equestrian Team supports eight disciplines now, so we only have one-fourth of the disciplines – not all disciplines but just the most important ones in some people’s eyes - those that compete at the highest level in the world.”

So, neither Adams nor Schofield thinks Wellington’s equestrian community has yet reached its maturity, and that’s why the Equestrian Preserve Committee’s current work is so important to the village’s future, they say.

Adams, for one, even believes there’s a possibility that the national headquarters of polo might be lured to locate in Wellington, but again, he thinks the community’s vision needs to address that and also which other disciplines it might wish to accommodate.

Schofield says it’s paramount that the equestrian community comes together.

“It is an asset that needs to be protected, and it not only needs to be protected from outside pressures, but there needs to be some unity among the equestrians themselves. … All the equestrians have to understand that they are better together – they survive much better together – than they do as separate groups who aren’t cooperating,” he concluded.

Photo by Kenneth Kraus/Phelps Media Group

PRESERVE

February 22 - February 28, 2013 Page 13

Olympian Michael Matz

KEEPING IT GREEN

Conservation, Horses and Bringing Economic Benefit to Environmental Sustainability

BY ANNA GIBSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EQUINE LAND CONSERVATION RESOURCE Landscapes are complicated. We use them to support our lifestyles, economies and transportation routes.

We rely upon them to provide ecosystem services like absorbing water and carbon, providing habitat for wildlife and as natural controls for managing waste and pollution. However, we also choose them for what they represent about us and the lifestyle we choose.

Yet, as a nation, we are losing the landscape. According the United States Department of Agriculture, we are losing 6,000 acres of open land every day.

This number, while alarming, represents only part of the picture. What kind of land we are losing is as important as how much land we are losing.

We are losing contiguous tracts of land that are critical both to keeping ecosystems healthy and providing the space to support our nation’s equestrian heritage and economy. We are losing countless horse farms, hayfields and competition venues that have a disproportionate impact on our landscape and lifestyle.

While we cannot fully calculate the number of horse properties lost, we know from first-hand accounts and lo-

cal reports that we are losing boarding facilities, hayfields, and horse farms to sprawl and poorly-planned development. This land loss is a direct threat to the horse industry, our history and culture of the horse, all equestrian sports, and the $102 billion economic impact of the horse industry.

There is no question that green spaces mean more green for the community coffers. Well-planned conservation efforts generate higher property values for houses within a few miles of the conserved land. The higher home sales prices and property values result in higher returns on property taxes.

Conserved agricultural land generates a reliably high benefit. Studies in Maryland, Colorado, Oregon, and Texas revealed that for every one percent increase in conserved agricultural lands, communities experienced revenue increases ranging from $250,000 to $500,000.

In communities where land is preserved specifically for horse usage, economic benefits are greater still because of the range of financial benefits the horse industry brings. In Montgomery County, Maryland, a survey

Photo by Joe Cascio Photography

Water management in the Equestrian Preserve is aided by open spaces alongside its canals

determined that the county’s 783 horse farms, mostly of modest size, generated nearly $90 million in economic activity, with the average farm infusing more than $84,000 into the local economy.

In Aiken, South Carolina, a 2007 study revealed that the horse industry was the community’s largest and most reliable economic driver. Both communities determined that the horse industry was an important lifestyle consideration to equestrians and non-equestrians alike in choosing to live in the region. In community after community, people have come together to protect lands for horses – even if they don’t plan to use it themselves – because they value the view, the lifestyle, and the community identity provided by horses.

Horse properties also play a role in broader conservation efforts. Horses and horse properties are ecological assets. Horse lands play an important role in wildlife conservation corridors. In many areas, land zoned for horse properties adjoins parks and other protected lands, and provides an additional protective barrier for the wildlife. The buffer zones provided to pasture lands and trails minimize the impact of development and transportation routes on animals living in nearby protected areas.

Horse pastures and hayfields provide important passive ecological benefits through water filtration and absorption. They also absorb carbon and other greenhouse gasses. Additionally, pasture lands can offset increased runoff from structures that include large paved areas.

The importance of conserving horse properties is not only economic and scientific. Horses also play an important role in our nation’s history, heritage and culture. Horses were once part of the American experience - backyard pony, a workhorse that doubled as a multipassenger ride to the swimming hole, the stalwart mount at the local livery, and the wise lesson pony. If horses are to remain part of the American landscape and part of our lifestyle, it is imperative to protect the lands that house them.

Special section sponsored by the Wellington Equestrian Preservation Alliance

Page 3

Photo by Joe Cascio Photography

A large barn in Wellington’s Equestrian Preserve is offset by an expansive open area Nationally, we will lack adequate land to support our horse population in as little as 15 years if we continue on our current path. Better planning can ensure that we conserve the right lands now to ensure a robust, sustaining horse industry for generations to come.

Incorporating Horses and Horse Properties into Conservation Planning: Simply put, conserving land for horses requires only that the lands in question remain dedicated for use by horses. Development pressures often mean that land previously dedicated to horse usage is rezoned for development as residential communities, commercial developments, or roads. While all of these things are necessary for any community, case after case proves the importance of maintaining horse-focused zoning where it exists. In Fairfax County, Virginia, for example, the county is struggling to reclaim a portion of the state’s nearly $1 billion economic activity from horses after losing more than 30 major horse properties in a decade to rapid growth.

Here are some best practices for including horses and horse proper-

Wellington’s Equestrian Heritage

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ties in local and regional conservation planning: 1. Know the lay of the land.

Many horse properties abut other protected lands. Prioritize protection of horse lands that can provide buffer zones for other ecologically important areas.

2. Keep an eye on the softer side. Many important conservation decisions are driven much more by community perception and lifestyle than the dollars and cents of the issue. Understand what conservation of a particular property or area will do for the region’s view and the perception that others will have of your community.

3. Take a long view. Understanding the economic and ecological impact over the long-term is critically important to making solid decisions about conserving land. Often, the dollars that will later have to be spent managing environmental impacts are not factored into the planning and costs.

4. Prioritize the Green. The single biggest factor for success in any conservation effort is keeping the land open. In reviewing land usage and prioritizing conservation action, the intrinsic and increasing value of intact corridors of open lands and horse lands should be given priority.

continued from Page 1

Bill Ylvisaker Polo put Wellington on the map, Andrews says.

Prior to polo’s arrival, “we had to lasso people to buy homes west of Military Trail,” he said.

He was reluctant about his new task as he had no formal training as an announcer, but he was more reluctant to displease Ylvisaker, a boss to whom no one said “no.”

Joe Cascio Photography

Club was the place to see and be seen.

“Remember, that was back in the ‘80s, when Palm Beach County had only a half-million people and before the Kravis Center was built, said Tim O’Connor, a club spokesman for 15 years.

Bill Ylvisaker was able to attract celebrities, including Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Jane Seymour, Merv Griffin, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Sylvester Stallone. Foreign dignitaries also came to play polo. In addition to Prince Charles, the Maharajah of Jaipur, known as “Bubbles,” made appearances. They even found elephants for one visit of the Maharajah.

The first time Prince Charles played polo at the club was an April Friday in 1980. He suffered from heat exhaustion and was taken to Good Samaritan Medical Center in nearby West Palm Beach. He was kept overnight but returned Sunday to the polo club for another match.

Ylvisaker’s daughter was vice president of public relations and marketing for Palm Beach Polo. Her dad used promotions, instead of advertising, to draw attention to the club and surrounding homes. He invited Winston Guest, a seasonal Palm Beach resident and top polo player, to watch a match at Palm Beach Polo. Once Guest gave it his blessing, says Laurie Ylvisaker, other Palm Beachers, including

Mary Sanford and Sue Whitmore, followed.

David Andrews was a part of Gould’s real estate team when Ylvisaker drafted him for a new assignment as they prepared for the first polo match – announcer.

“You have the type of voice that would attract Palm Beachers to buy (homes) here and buy box seats,” Andrews recalls Ylvisaker telling him about his charming British accent.

Photo by David Lominska

VISION

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Andrews perfected his skills, and became the “Voice of Polo” in demand worldwide. His secret? Thoroughly know the game, players and horses, while making it interesting for people to want to return. He continued for many years to sell Wellington real estate during the week.

Ylvisaker also convinced executives of elegant name brands, such as Cartier, Piaget and Tiffany, to sponsor polo teams. Cadillac became the official car of Palm Beach Polo and sponsored a team. Porcelain queen Helen Boehm also got caught up in polo and sponsored a team.

A highlight in the annals of Palm Beach Polo and Country Club’s history was the 1985 visit of the royal couple – Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana.

“Diana rode around the polo fields, waving in a car, and Charles was there to play polo,” remembers Laurie Ylvisaker, who helped coordinate the event. “Of course, that would not be possible today” because of heightened security concerns since 9/11. But back then, it was more about protocol.

“Playing with the prince was a privilege and great fun,” Memo Gracida, then a 10-goal player, recalls about joining the prince’s team on Nov. 12, 1985. It was an exhibition game, for fun and the crowd, Gracida says, as opposed to a professional game where the focus is on winning.

Bill Ylvisaker scored a second coup when he persuaded legendary horseman Gene Mische to make Wellington a stop on his Sunshine State circuit. The first shows were held in the grass in front of the polo stadium.

Originally, the equestrian center was built on the west side of South Shore Boulevard. It had just one barn.

Two more were added with stalls for almost 150 horses along with grand prix and warm-up rings. The festival expanded to five weeks in 1985.

By that time the Winter Equestrian Festival featuring events for hunters, jumpers, and later, dressage riders, was attracting thousands of horses and international riders.

“It was truly an international equestrian center,” Laurie Ylvisaker says.

Photo by Joe Cascio Photography

High goal polo is in its 10th season at International Polo Club Palm Beach spanning 12 weeks of shows featuring Olympic riders in hunter/ jumper classes, dressage and other disciplines.

Gould Inc. wanted to retrench in 1986 and focus on its core electronics business. In October 1986, the Carmel, Calif.-based Landmark Land Co. paid Photo by Kenneth Kraus/Phelps Media Group

Page 14 February 22 - February 28, 2013

Gene Mische about $24.8 million for the Palm Beach Polo Club, then about 2,000 acres.

Landmark tried to continue the focus on high-goal polo, says former Polo Club president Steve Braley. “We renovated the polo house and added fine dining, renovated the Players Club.”

They liked the effect that two homes to an acre gave to the community, Braley adds. Landmark also redid the golf courses, demolishing one and rebuilding it. The developer also imPhoto by David Lominska

HORSES… by the Numbers Wellington has wrapped up an Equestrian Data Collection Project, showing the numbers behind Wellington’s equestrian heritage. The data is expected to be used as the basis for developing Wellington’s equestrian master plan. About 41 percent of the village’s developable land – 9,200 acres – lies within the preserve.

Here are the highlights: As of Sept. 2011, Wellington had: 8,872 permanent barn stalls

Prince Charles, accompanied by Jorie Butler Kent, greet guests at Palm Beach Polo in 1988

294 pole barn stalls 2,500 temporary tent stalls Nearly 3,000 horses live in the village year-round; during high season, that number spikes to nearly 12,000.

53 percent are hunter-jumper 26 percent polo 13 percent dressage; and 8 percent recreational/other There are 2,400-plus acres of equine amenities in Wellington, the study shows, including: 49 polo fields (650 acres) 20 stick and ball fields (100 acres) 40 exercise tracks; 14 covered arenas (7 acres) 115 dressage rings (46 acres)

But horses and their owners still had to cross heavy traffic on South Shore Boulevard, a nightmare situation during the winter months when highgoal polo was played. In 1988, the new owners of Palm Beach Polo and Country Club, Landmark Land Co., built a 125-acre, $12 million facility – the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club – with space for about 1,600 horses competing in seven rings, all on the south side of Pierson Road.

The festival is now the largest and longest-running horse show in the world, with more than 3,000 horses

proved the tennis courts where Chris Evert, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl and Stefan Edberg came to play.

Prince Charles returned a third time in March 1988 to play polo, but Princess Diana was not with him. “The prince showed so much gratitude to have him there for a few hours of playing, what took months of planning,” Braley says.

Despite the owners’ love and concern for Palm Beach Polo, Landmark ran into trouble for having placed it and other luxury properties under ownership of Oak Tree Savings & Loan, a

Louisiana-based thrift it purchased in the early 1980s. When the federal rules changed, the future changed for the legendary resort.

In 1991, Oak Tree became embroiled in the national savings and loan debacle, and it put its luxury developments under the protection of the bankruptcy court while it battled the federal thrift regulators all the way to the Supreme Court, Braley recalls.

But federal regulators seized the properties. Palm Beach Polo and Country Club was sold at auction in July 1993. West Virginia businessman Glenn Straub’s bid of $27.1 million was selected from the nearly two dozen bids made in Dallas.

At the time, the 2,250-acre Polo Cub had 10 polo fields, a 4,200-seat stadium, 45 holes of golf, 24 tennis courts, 100 rental villas, three clubhouses and 458 acres of developable land. Nine hundred privately owned homes were nestled among lakes and lush landscaping.

Straub was quoted then as saying, “It’s not the type of facility where you change its image… We’re not going to do anything but expand on what’s there.”

He called the Polo Club purchase a gift to his wife and two daughters who participate in dressage. He eventually changed the name of the community to the Palm Beach Polo Golf and Country Club.

And change did come. By 1997 when Palm Beach Polo celebrated its 20th season, rumbles of discontent among the players and patrons were well-known. Subsequent polo seasons saw fewer teams. And the pageantry that was part of Ylvisaker’s legacy never returned. Straub later sold off the polo fields and the Players Club, and the polo stadium was demolished after hurricanes damaged it. The Winter Equestrian Festival continued, though, under Mische’s leadership, and later, under Equestrian Sport Partners after Mische retired around 2006.

Polo patrons in the early 2000s had formed a commuter league, playing polo on private fields throughout Wellington. One patron, Houston businessman John Goodman, who built his Isla Carroll farm along 120th Avenue, saw a way to continue Wellington’s polo legacy. He turned 88 acres of his private land into the International Polo Club to bring high-goal polo back to Wellington.

“I’ve been playing polo here for years and wanted to bring polo back to its best-polo-in-the-world level to create a showcase for the sport,” Goodman says. He applied for the U.S. Open Polo Championship, the Gold Cup and the C.V. Whitney Cup before the club’s stadium was even finished.

Its first commercial season was held in 2004.

“Bill Ylvisaker had a vision for the area,” he says, “and I hope that I helped to carry it on.”

354 sand rings (336 acres) 126 grand prix fields (625 acres) 3.2 million square feet of stables (74 acres) 273 grooms’ quarters; 3,381 paddocks (600 acres) 584 manure bins (2 acres) Meetings were held with stakeholders, including full-time equestrian residents, businesses, commercial equestrian interests within the EPA, equestrian competitors at venues in the EPA, and government partners. Conclusions from those meetings include: Wellington needs to lengthen the equestrian season and attract additional disciplines of riders People living outside the Equestrian Preserve don’t seem to understand the needs of equestrians Horses and their well-being need to be the central component of the master plan The EPA’s current character must be maintained A greater mix of equestrian disciplines is desirable People outside the EPA are unaware of equestrians’ needs Photo by Joe Cascio Photography

A rider warms up in the ingate before entering the International Arena Special section sponsored by the Wellington Equestrian Preservation Alliance

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Wellington’s Equestrian Heritage

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February 22 - February 28, 2013 Page 15

NEWS

Project 425 Crew Welcomes Huey Helicopter Pilot Stan Freeman The Project 425 crew held a special reunion Friday, Feb. 15 at G&M Ranch in Loxahatchee Groves, when their Huey helicopter was reacquainted with Stan Freeman, one of its former combat pilots.

Freeman was a pilot with “B” Company/123rd Aviation Battalion (Warlords) stationed in Chu Lai, Vietnam in 1971 during the time the Huey was assigned to that company.

Project 425 is the brainchild of Loxahatchee Groves resident and Vietnam veteran Mike Carroll, who acquired an old H Model Huey that had been used for training by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. Carroll spent a lot of time

and effort restoring it to display condition. Freeman appreciated the work Carroll had done to the helicopter and its new mission to be a piece of history reminding the public of the sacrifices made by aircrews in the Vietnam War. Project 425 has grown into a group of dedicated Vietnam and other veterans whose goal is to keep the history of service alive. It is not unusual to see this helicopter being towed around the community to veteran, civic, church or school events.

The Project 425 crew is made up of Army, Air Force and Marine veterans, and Armed Forces Radio’s Chris Noel.

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Stan Freeman (fourth from the left) with Project 425 members Ken Baer, Bill Jeczalik, Curt Rich, Mike Carroll, Major General Wayne Jackson, Ray Branch and Bill Arcuri.

Stan Freeman with Major General Wayne Jackson.

Stan Freeman and Bill Jeczalik look at bullet hole patches.

Ray Branch, Mike Carroll and Curt Rich with Stan Freeman.

Stan Freeman and Ken Baer discuss the Huey flight controls.

Café Joshua Wins Ecolab’s $25,000 Clean Makeover Contest Café Joshua, a nonprofit kitchen in West Palm Beach, has been announced as the second winner of Ecolab’s Clean Makeover Contest, which invited foodservice operators to explain why they could use extra help from Ecolab.

Café Joshua will receive up to $25,000 of Ecolab equipment, products and services to enhance the cleanliness and efficiency of its operations.

Entries in the Ecolab Clean Makeover Contest ranged from humbling to humorous, but all shared a common theme: a desire to maintain a high degree of cleanliness under sometimes challenging conditions.

“From the hundreds of entries we received, Café Joshua’s essay

captured our attention because of the organization’s impact on the local community,” said Kevin Rowley, senior marketing manager for Ecolab Institutional Foodservice.

“The organization feeds the homeless, helps clients develop life skills and prepares them for work in the foodservice industry. Café Joshua also recently launched a corporate catering business to help support their efforts.”

Through Café Joshua’s programs, students learn on-site food preparation and kitchen operations, including food safety regulations and best practices in kitchen sanitation. Over the past three years, the program has successfully graduated 54 students. Many go on to work in catering and food-

service careers in local restaurants and hotels, medical centers, banquet and dining halls and school districts.

The Clean Makeover Contest prize package, valued at up to $25,000, includes an Ecolab rental dish machine with innovative Apex2 technology; Ecolab Pest Elimination service; an Ecolab Cleaning Caddy for touch-free restroom cleaning; assorted cleaning products and tools for kitchen operations, including detergents, sanitizers, floor and glass cleaners and hand care products; Ice Machine Smart Care Performance Check service; water filtration equipment for an ice machine and post-mix beverages; a food safety evaluation and coaching session;

and a Prep-n-Print food labeling system.

Started in 1995, Café Joshua was a place for homeless people in West Palm Beach to receive a hot, restaurant-style meal. In 2000, the organization merged with the Lord’s Place, which provides comprehensive case management, job training and supportive housing, as well as a thrift store.

The merger allowed Café Joshua to expand into a corporate catering business that brings revenues back to the nonprofit. The agency serves an average of 560 homeless men, women and children every month.

For more information about the Lord’s Place, visit its web site at www.thelordsplace.org.

Café Joshua’s Robert Coleman (third from the left) with Ecolab’s Erich Henke, George Panas and Richard Roberto.

Page 16 February 22 - February 28, 2013

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SCHOOL NEWS

Ideal, Dream Schools Present ‘MI Museum’ The Ideal and Dream schools in Royal Palm Beach, based on Harvard Professor Dr. Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence, hosted their first “MI Museum” on Friday, Jan. 25.

At this evening event, students in grades 3 through 8 brought the multiple intelligences to life and celebrated historical and contemporary individuals who have used their dominant intelligences to

Ideal fourth-graders Croix Kordick (Salvador Dali), Grant Fennessy (George Washington) and Carson Van Popering (Mikhail Baryshnikov) pose as wax statues for the MI Museum.

have a positive impact on society.

“The evening was a fantastic celebration of both the intelligences that underpin our school’s teaching approach and the students’ communication ability,” said Tom Dyde, the Dream Middle School language arts teacher.

Each student selected a figure he or she felt had used one of the eight intelligences in a positive way. Through research activities, students developed a greater understanding of their figures and their accomplishments. This allowed them to reflect on how their dominant intelligence could have helped the figure achieve these feats. The research and reflections helped the students to construct effective speeches that showed a deep understanding of the selected figure, their accomplishments and their intelligence.

The Ideal and Dream schools were transformed into a living wax museum with more than 100 students dressed as these important individuals and positioned as statues throughout the schools as parents and students toured the MI Museum. When prompted by the push of a button, the statues would come to life and provide a

brief history, the accomplishments and the intelligence represented by their chosen individual. Students focused on how body language, accent, tone and facial expression could assist the delivery of the speeches. A range of accents, from English, to Australian and Indian, filled the school building, as students worked exceptionally hard to “become” their selected figures through appearance, sound and mannerisms.

Third-grade student Sophia Roud brought verbal linguistic learner J.K. Rowling to life while eighth-grade student Cristina Casas modeled mathematical logical learner Helen Keller. Others included Elvis, Gandhi, Queen Elizabeth II, Leonardo Da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Jacques Cousteau and many more.

After the MI Museum, students and families gathered behind the school to watch the movie A Night at the Museum under the stars.

The Ideal Preschool, Ideal Elementary School and Dream Middle School make up a private school in Royal Palm Beach for students who excel in academics, arts and character.

For more information, visit www. dreamideal.com.

Free School-Day SAT For SRHS Juniors Feb. 27 All Seminole Ridge High School juniors will have the opportunity to take the SAT free and on campus Wednesday, Feb. 27 as part of the district-wide school-day SAT administration.

On the testing day, juniors will need to bring a No. 2 pencil (no mechanical pencils are allowed), an approved calculator and a valid photo ID. Juniors with questions about the free school-day SAT should check with their guidance counselors or English teachers.

• National Honor Society Inductees — The SRHS chapter of the National Honor Society is proud to announce this year’s new members, inducted in an evening ceremony Feb. 14. Seminole Ridge congratulates its honorary faculty inductees Kevin Cintron and Barbara Cloran, and the following student inductees: Beatriz Arteaga, Shayla Bass, Tyler Beck, Nori Benjamin, Rebecca Birch, Kaitlyn Bolander, Chad Bonincontri,Alanna Brescia, Jazmyn Brown, Cindy Cabrera, John Caprio, Enelia Carrero, John Christian, Teresa Cioffoletti, Samantha Clothier, Benoit

Cloutier, Kayla Cox. Aaron Davis, Shanira Delgado, Nicholas Diasio, John DiCampli, Andres Duenas, Victoria Dukharan, Lauren Escalada, Sabrina Fischer, Cody Fishman, Roman Fernandez, Sarah Fordin, Jessica Gamble, Michael Garro, Allison Gatyas, Jose Gonzalez, Brandon Gordon, Daisia Grafton, Tyler Graham, Randa Griffin, Kaitlyn Guncheon, Chad Hamann, Corey Hampson, Stephen Harris, Heather Kendall, Ramiz Kirmani, Anisa Kornegay, Taylor Lamoureux, Brad Lewis, Juan D. Lopez, Juan P. Lopez, Laura Louberti, Amanda Lowe, Bailee Machado, Shea McKenna, Andrew Melville, Jamie Miller, Luke Miller, Sarah Milstead, Keith Miner, Suzette Mojica, Samantha Morgan, Morgan Musgrove, James Nunez, Victoria Osborne, Parth Patel, Leda Paul, Carolina Pereira, Abyu Perez, Sarah Persson, Brandon Phan, Briana Posner, Cameron Powell, Camilo Salazar, Victoria Simmons, Althea Smith, Nicki Smith, Andrew Smith, Gabrielle Sousa, Jordan Suarez, Robert Snyder, Austin Taylor, Erika Thomp-

son, Rachel Trimble, Mark Vernon, Travis Virgo, Taylor Waddell, Thomas Walker, Rachel Warren, Jessica Waymire, Sabrina Whirlow, Olivia Williams, Nyla Williams, Michael Wilson, Brandon Wilson, Antonyo Woods and Camilia Yepes.

• Saralee Doll Featured in History Exhibit — In recognition of February as African American History Month, an exhibit in the SRHS media center features what English teacher Lynn Moylan calls “a piece of history that occurred in our own back yard.”

Her copy of a Saralee doll is included in the exhibit, along with newspaper and magazine articles describing the doll’s creation. “The doll, produced in 1952, was one of the first black dolls to be sold in the U.S., and the inspiration of a white Belle Glade resident, Sara Lee Creech,” Moylan said.

Facilitated by writer Zora Neale Hurston and former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Creech’s idea of the Saralee doll changed from an idea to a reality.

Hawk students Sara Buffett,

Danielle Dominique, Danay Farina and Courtney Wilcox assisted in designing and preparing this portion of the exhibit.

• February is Dental Health Month — The SRHS clinic program reminds all Hawks and their families that the Florida Department of Health has designated February as National Children’s Dental Health Month. The clinic offers the following dental advice: Fluoride makes teeth stronger, protecting them from decay. Community water fluoridation is the safest, most effective way to prevent decay, along with schoolbased fluoride mouth rinse programs. Remove dental plaque by practicing daily oral hygiene, brushing twice daily for two minutes with a soft toothbrush and a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Replace toothbrushes when the bristles fray. Maintain a proper diet, choose low-sugar snacks, and avoid sweets that stick to teeth. Schedule regular dental checkups to assess the risk of childhood cavities or other dental problems.

February 22 - February 28, 2013 Page 17

WLMS TEAM WINS AT ACADEMIC GAMES

The Wellington Landings Middle School Academic Games team placed second in the Palm Beach County Academic Games on Thursda y, Feb. 12. In addition, each of the five team members placed among the 15 county-wide individual awards. This round of competition focused on social studies. Shown above are Josh Myerson, team coach Christopher Cartagena, Mitch Gulkis, Mason Graham, Nicholas Breindel and Jose Cruz.

NEW HORIZONS WOWS AT THE WINTER EQUESTRIAN FESTIVAL

New Horizons Elementary School was featured as school of the week at the Winter Equestrian Festival. The Music Club drumline played during the pre-show events. The Flamenco Dance Troupe, under the direction of parent Maria Matute, performed on stage.

During the evening opening ceremony, the Music Club Singer s, under the direction of music teacher Veronica Dillingham, rang out the national anthem. Pictured here are teacher sponsors Erin Santiago and Bette Baez with the Flamenco Dance Troupe.

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February 22 - February 28, 2013 Page 19

PALMS WEST PEOPLE

Cub Scout Pack 125 Hosts Pinewood Derby At St. Peter’s Church (Right, front row, L-R) Andrew Taylor, Bear Den Leader Anthony Gallo, Cubmaster Steve Walton, Assistant Cubmaster John Lacy, Tiger Den Leader Jason Smith, Pack 125 Committee Chair Brad Stockwell and Pinewood Derby Chair Gary Gouveia; (back row) PBSO Capt. Jay Hart, Binks Forest Elementary School Principal Michella Levy, Pack 125 Chartered Organization representative Peter Yackulics, Wellington Mayor Bob Margolis, PBCFR Capt. Charlie Shinn, Mitchell Longley and Phil Moynihan.

TIMOTHY ARNOLD GRADUATES MARINE CORPS TRAINING

Cub Scout Pack 125 held its annual Pinewood Derby on Saturday, Feb. 9 at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in Wellington.

Nearly 50 scouts competed with cars made of small wooden blocks.

The designed, painted and themed cars are built to race on a six-lane track with electronic sensors that accurately record race times. J.D. Ross, a first-year Tiger Cub Scout, had the fastest car and was awarded Pack 125 Grand Champion. Ross and the other three scouts from each ranking will compete Saturday, March 16 at the Trade Winds District Pinewood Derby.

The scouts invited several special guests to participate in the Akela (adult leaders) portion of the derby.

On hand were Wellington Mayor Bob Margolis, who entered a roadster, and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office District 8 Commander Capt. Jay Hart, who entered a PBSO cruiser.

Representing Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue were Capt. Charlie Shinn, Mitchell Longley and Phil Moynihan, who entered a fire truck. Binks Forest Elementary School Principal Michella Levy had one of her students, Bear

Scout Shawn O’Sullivan, build a car on her behalf.

St. Peter ’s United Methodist Church Pastor Rev. Rainer Richter also competed. In all, 20 adults and scout siblings participated in the Akela class.

Cub Scout Pack 125 meets the third Thursday of each month in the Fellowship Hall of St. Peter ’s United Methodist Church of Wellington.

For more information about Cub Scout Pack 125, e-mail Committee Chair Brad Stockwell at chair@ pack125.com or visit www.pack 125.com.

Anastasia Colas Wins Brain Bee Challenge Royal Palm Beach High School junior Anastasia Colas was the winner of the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience’s 2013 Brain Bee Challenge. Sponsored by the Mary and Robert Pew Public Education Fund, the event took place Feb. 9 at the institute’s new research center in Jupiter, and included high school students from Palm Beach and Martin counties.

The oral competition is similar to a spelling bee in format and designed to test students’ knowledge of neuroscience through a series of questions on topics such as memory, intelligence, stress, emotions and brain disorders.

As first-place winner, Colas received $200 and a trip to the National Brain Bee Competition in Baltimore, Md., in March timed to

coincide with National Brain Awareness Week. Suncoast High School junior Sanjay Chandrasekhar placed second place, and Anugya Sood placed third.

This was the second year Colas and Sood competed in the Brain Bee. In 2012, Colas earned second place and Sood earned third. “Now that the Brain Bee is in its second year, it’s very exciting to see students return to compete again,� said Dr. Ana Fiallos, Max Planck Florida’s head of education outreach. “This is an important program for the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience and our mission to expand and enrich science education programs in our community.�

For information, visit www.max planckflorida.org.

Dr. Ana Fiallos of the Max Planck Florida Institute, Sanjay Chandrasekhar, Anugya Sood, Anastasia Colas and Louise Grant of the Mary and Robert Pew Public Education Fund.

PHOTO BY TRACEY BENSON PHOTOGRAPHY

Helen Grybko Celebrates Her 104th Birthday

Timothy Arnold has graduated from United States Marine Corps training at Parris Island, S.C. Arnold is now going to school to become an aviation mechanic in Pensacola. He is a graduate of Seminole Ridge High School.

Send Palms West People items to: The Town-Crier Newspaper, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414.

Fax: (561) 793-6090. E-mail: news@goTownCrier.com.

Helen Grybko celebrated her 104th birthday Friday, Feb. 8, surrounded by friends and family at NuVista Living in Wellington. The party was complete with cake, decorations and entertainment.

Grybko turned 104 in very good health, with only some trouble hearing and seeing, and she is considered a “firecracker� at NuVista.

Originally from Hatfield, Mass., Grybko went to Deerfield Academy and later worked at Miller Falls, a tool company, supplying arms for World War II. Later on, Grybko settled on a farm with her husband where they raised tobacco, corn and tended cows. She has four children: Dorothy, Shirley, Charlotte and Frank.

A few of Grybko’s favorite things are her memories of traveling to Europe, teddy bears and the color green. She also enjoys all of the activities that she is involved in at NuVista, including music, religious services and exercise.

NuVista Living is a newly constructed state-of-the-art health center providing the most technologically advanced, skilled nursing and post-acute rehabilitation facilities to help each patient get back to an active lifestyle. NuVista offers private rooms to every patient and healthy, high-end cuisine in order to create an environment that treats the residents with the outmost respect.

For more information on NuVista Living, visit www.nvliving.com.

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Helen Grybko celebrates her birthday with NuVista Living Activity Director Nicole Guadagni.

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February 22 - February 28, 2013 Page 21

POLO & EQUESTRIAN

Teams Compete For The Ylvisaker Cup Semifinals At Polo Club Rain and wet fields caused the postponement of the Friday, Feb. 15 quarterfinals of the 2013 Ylvisaker Cup at Wellington’s International Polo Club Palm Beach, but there was plenty to go around last Sunday when the semifinalists of the prestigious trophy were decided. Coca-Cola scored a 1210 win over Zacara; Lechuza Caracas defeated ERG 10-7; Audi ran away from Villa Del Lago 14-9; and Lucchese rallied to sneak past Piaget 12-11.

Audi opened the day with a 149 morning win over a testy Villa Del Lago team that had been averaging more than 12 goals per game while posting a 2-1 record, and found themselves trailing 7-5 at the end of the third chukker. A refreshed Audi team returned to the field in the second half focused and determined. Behind seven goals from American 8-goaler Nic Roldan, Audi outscored Villa Del Lago 9-2 in the final three periods of the game as Audi recorded an impressive 14-9 win and earned a berth in Wednesday’s tournament semifinals.

Coca-Cola and Zacara provid-

ed another nail-biter at noon as Julio Arellano scored five of his game-high 10 goals in the second half to lift Coca-Cola to a 12-10 win over a talented Zacara team and capturing another tournament semifinal spot.

Zacara 10-goaler Facundo Pieres scored six goals in the first half as he led his team to a 7-5 halftime lead. Coca-Cola took control of the game in the fourth chukker with Arellano scoring four goals and Sugar Erskine added another while holding Zacara to a single goal from Pieres. At the end of the fourth chukker Coca-Cola had taken a 10-8 lead, a lead they wouldn’t give up as they celebrated the 1210 win.

Lechuza Caracas took control of their afternoon game with ERG from the very start as they rode on to register the 10-7 win. Lechuza led 5-3 at the end of the first half and then watched 8-goaler Polito Pieres score four of his seven goals in the game for the 10-7 victory.

The win would put Lechuza in Wednesday’s semifinals against Coca-Cola.

The final match of the day had

Lechuza Caracas defeated ERG 10-7 in their afternoon match.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LILA PHOTO

Piaget leading by two goals after the fifth chukker and then watch Lucchese come back in the final chukker to score three goals and take the game, 12-11. With Lucchese regular Sebastian Merlos injured, his brother Agustin “Tincho” Merlos filled in for him. Tincho’s 10 goals on the day confirmed his standing on the team and set up Lucchese for a semifinal showdown with Audi on

Wednesday afternoon. Results were not available at press time.

Friday’s action at the International Polo Club will include four games in the season’s first 26-goal tournament, the 2013 single-elimination C.V. Whitney Cup. Friday’s C.V. Whitney Cup competition will feature games between Alegria and Piaget; Orchard Hill and Lechuza; Audi and CocaCola; and ERG facing the winner

Lindsay Hillstrom, Ashley Welch, polo player Brandon Phillips, Dana Romanelli, Melanie Pace, Nina Romanelli and Meagan Wright. of Tuesday’s match between Zac- to $120 box seating. Tickets for ara and Valiente.

Sunday brunch at the Pavilion and The finals of the Ylvisaker Cup its reception start at $55, upward will take place on Sunday, Feb. 24, to $330 for the Veuve Clicquot with the winners of Wednesday’s brunch package for two. Tickets semifinals meeting on the stadium can be purchased online at www. field at 3 p.m. internationalpoloclub.com, or by The high-goal polo action takes calling (561) 204-5687. Find IPC on place every Sunday through April Facebook, follow on Twitter at 21 at the International Polo Club. @SundayPolo or visit www.ipc Ticket prices for Sunday polo scoreboard.com for up-to-date range from $10 general admission scores, schedules and more.

Madden Victorious At $125,000 FEI World Cup Qualifier Grand Prix Two-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist Beezie Madden and Abigail Wexner’s Cortes “C” were victorious Saturday, Feb. 16 in the $125,000 FEI World Cup Qualifier Grand Prix, CSI 3*-W presented by Spy Coast Farm, during week six of the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington.

Madden beat out an impressive roster of top riders and finished in first place over Katie Dinan aboard Nougat du Vallet and Shane Sweetnam aboard Amaretto d’Arco, who finished second and third respectively.

Brazil’s Guilherme Jorge set the track for 46 entries in last Saturday night’s grand prix with nine jumping clear to advance to the jump-off. Four were able to complete the short course without fault, with the fastest time of 41.50 seconds belonging to Madden and Cortes “C.” Margie Engle and Elm Rock LLC’s Royce were first to clear the jump-off course in 45.69 seconds and eventually placed fourth.

Shane Sweetnam and Spy Coast Farm LLC’s Amaretto d’Arco cleared the jump-off track in 42.56 seconds to place third. Up next,

Katie Dinan and Grant Road Partners LLC’s Nougat du Vallet upped the ante with their time of 41.84 seconds to place second. They were immediately followed by an even faster clear round from Beezie Madden and Cortes “C” in the winning 41.50 seconds. Week four grand prix winners Ben Maher and Jane Clark’s Cella had the fastest time of the night in 40.46 seconds, but had one rail down in the short course to place fifth.

Spy Coast Farm owners Robert and Lisa Lourie were thrilled with the success of the evening and the great class along with a third-place finish for their horse and rider.

Madden’s winning mount for the evening, Cortes “C,” is an 11year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding that Madden has now had for three years. Madden describes Cortes as a horse with fantastic ability.

This was the first big grand prix of the year for Cortes, and Madden was happy with his performance. In addition to the grand prix win, Madden was named the Leading Lady Jumper Rider, an award presented by Martha Jolicoeur of Illustrated Properties in

memory of Dale Lawler.

Second-place finisher, 19-yearold Dinan, has grown up with Madden as a riding idol and was excited to finish in the top of the class with her.

Sweetnam was pleased to finish in the top three for Spy Coast Farm with their top stallion Amaretto d’Arco.

Also showing in the International Arena last Saturday, Jessica Springsteen and Stone Hill Farm’s Vindicat Wwon the $15,000 RCG Farm SJHOF High Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic. Lucas Porter and Mill’s Georgia, owned by John Roche, won in the Hollow Creek Farm Medium Junior Jumpers. Alvaro Tejada Arriola and Isabel Tejada’s Velinta Palo Blanco won in the Animo USA Medium Amateur-Owner Jumpers, and Diederique Van Der Knaap and G&C Con Air won in the Griffis Residential High Junior Jumpers.

In other WEF action, Parkland and Lillie Keenan continued their domination of the Small Junior Hunter 16-17 division during week six of the festival. The pair has taken home championship honors every week they have competed

in the division, making this win their fourth tricolor victory. Keenan and Parkland, an 8-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Jennifer Gates, were a force to be reckoned with throughout the two days of competition for the division. They placed third and first over fences on day one and won both over fences rounds day two before wrapping up the division with a fourth place on the flat.

Reserve champion was Romance, ridden and owned by Spencer Smith. Smith and Romance were sixth over fences on day one and placed second in both over fences rounds day two. The pair edged out Keenan and Parkland under saddle, placing third in the final class of the division.

Romance and Smith were also honored with the owner/rider championship title for the division.

The award recognizes riders in junior divisions competing on their own horses and is tallied separately from overall division championship awards. Reserve owner/rider champions were MTM U Call It and Cloe Hymowitz.

Keenan, of New York City, and Parkland began their partnership

Beezie Madden and Cortes “C.” PHOTOGRAPHY BY SPORTFOT PHOTO

during week one of WEF, when the pair first took home the tricolor prize. Since then, the two have proven that it wasn’t just beginner’s luck that earned them top honors. Keenan and Parkland will aim to continue their winning streak over the remaining weeks of WEF. The Winter Equestrian Festival features 12 weeks of competition.

More than $6 million in prize money will be awarded through the circuit.

For full results, visit www.show groundslive.com. The Palm Beach International Equestrian Center is located at 14440 Pierson Road, Wellington.

For more information, visit www.equestriansport.com or call (561) 793-5867.

Page 22 February 22 - February 28, 2013

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LILA PHOTO

LILA PHOTO

ALEX PACHECO

The Perfect Match – Polo and Brunch

Enjoy fabulous cuisine, entertainment, fashion and, of course, world-class polo every Sunday, January 6 through April 21.

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For tickets, please visit InternationalPoloClub.com or call 561.204.5687. Polo HOTLINE 561.282.5290 3667 120th Avenue South, Wellington, Florida 33414 *Tax inclusive. Parking additional, unless otherwise noted.

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February 22 - February 28, 2013 Page 23

NEWS

Outback Challenge Festivities Benefit The Polo Players Support Group In polo’s version of the All-Star Game, many of the world’s best players got together and put on a fantastic show on the field and at the post-event VIP dinner for the annual Outback 40-Goal Challenge presented by Nespresso on Saturday, Feb. 16 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach.

Gonzalito Pieres scored four goals, including a rare 2-pointer, to lead Equus & Co. over EFG Bank 7-3 in the annual event, the ninth time it has been held at IPC. The all-star exhibition game featured seven of the world’s eight

10-goalers. Ten-goaler Juan Martin Nero missed the game because he is still recovering from elbow surgery in December. He was replaced by 9-goaler Julio Arellano, who grew up in Wellington and is currently the highest-rated American player.

Pieres’ 90-yard forehand early in the fourth chukker earned him the Grey Goose Long Shot of the Game Award. Two points were awarded for goals longer than 80 yards.

Grey Goose designed a specialty drink for the occasion and had the Grey Goose Girls handing out free

samples throughout the match.

Facundo Pieres, Pelon Stirling and Miguel Novillo Astrada each scored one goal for Equus & Co. Adolfo Cambiaso, Pablo MacDonough and Arellano scored one goal apiece for EFG Bank.

The game also marked the return of Sapo Caset, who was playing in his first game in the U.S. after being hospitalized in Argentina with a serious staph infection last April. Caset spent six days in a medically induced coma but fully recovered and began playing in mid-September.

Malaquita, ridden by Facundo Pieres, received the Best Playing Pony Award, sponsored by Aon. After the game, a sold-out VIP dinner courtesy of Tim Gannon and Outback Steakhouse was held in the Pavilion with a who’s who of players, patrons and fans attending the largest post-event affair in the history of the 40-Goal Challenge.

Nespresso offered a variety of specialty coffees at the invitationonly post-event dinner.

Proceeds from the gate, the VIP dinner, and silent and live auctions

benefit the Polo Players Support Group Inc., a nonprofit created to provide financial assistance to seriously injured or ill polo players or grooms. So far, the Polo Players Support Group has provided more than $1.5 million to 45 seriously injured or ill players and grooms.

The top live auction items were Cambiaso’s autographed jersey, which sold for $25,000, a VIP package for the Breeder’s Cup for four people, which went for $12,000, a duck hunt at world-renowned Belleau Farm, which sold for $9,000,

and a week in Argentina playing polo with Mariano Aguerre, which went for $8,000.

Sponsors for the event included Outback, Nespresso, EFG Bank, Equus & Co., Tri-Global Financial, Aon, Grey Goose, Catena Watches, Kendall Jackson, Brown Distributing Co., La Martina, Lady Walton’s Gourmet Cookies, the Tackeria, Alex Photography, Lucchese, Los Machitos Polo, the Morning Line, Polographics.com, La Casa Hermosa, Audi, Palm Beach Polo, Siddha Sites and OrganizeThis.

The Cleveland Clinic Florida’s 2013 Ball A Dazzling Success

Lori and Bruce Gendelman

Dr. Toby Cosgr ove and Sydell L. Miller IMAGES COURTESY LUCIEN CAPEHART PHOTOGRAPHY

Teachers

continued from page 1 level. “I have a range of kids who have different needs,” she said.

“There are some who have difficulties at home or who excel at reading but need guidance in other areas.”

Most importantly, Simpson tries to be herself. “I just beat to my own drum,” she said. “I think the students respond to this, and the other teachers probably have noticed that and decided to nominate me.”

Simpson is the school’s first teacher to be chosen as a finalist for the Dwyer Awards. “It’s quite an honor,” she said.

In order to be eligible, teachers

must have taught for at least three consecutive years in Palm Beach County. Wellington High School intellectual disabilities and autism teacher Barbara Incandela has exceeded that qualification, having taught for more than 21 years in the county.

Incandela, a finalist in the Special Programs category, loves her job. “I have probably the best class in the whole school,” she said. “I feel very blessed to teach them because they are all very positive, fun, loving and eager to learn.”

Incandela goes above and beyond her academic teaching abilities by preparing her students for life. “I try to instill a joy for life by doing a lot of community-based instruction like taking them out into the community so they can learn life skills,” she said.

Royal Palm Beach High School

Lisa Simpson

Barbara Incandela

health teacher Maureen Witkowski is one of the pioneer teachers at the school with 18 years under her belt. “I’ve been there since it first opened, and I’ve seen teachers and principals come and go,” she said. “I’m on my sixth principal now.”

To help her students deal with adolescent issues and keep students out of trouble, Witkowski started an anger management program at RPBHS. She is also the SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) coordinator and is involved in a mentoring program. “I want to change negative images of our school,” she said.

“Every school has problems, but I would like for every bad thing that happens here, we have a good thing that we put out.”

Witkowski believes strongly in her school and students. “We have some really great students who really want to learn and do well,” she said. “This is a diverse school with students from many cultural backgrounds and races, and we all work together as one.

That’s why I love our school and have been here for so long.”

Wellington High School journalism and writing teacher Scott Zucker has been teaching high school for 28 years. He started at WHS when it opened in 1989.

Zucker’s literary magazine and journalism class produces the school’s newspaper, the Wellington Wave, and four shows a year.

“Hundreds of students are able to perform both original works and works from published poets and authors,” he said. “It gives stu-

was paying for services by Kurtz.

According to the report, Wellington paid an average of $552,364 per year on its entire legal services between 2007 and 2012. The village attorney was paid an average of $392,092 during that time.

The legal budget was at its highest in 2007, with Wellington paying out $755,887 total; $535,138 of it going to the attorney. The costs dipped in 2009 and 2010 but crept back up to $636,251 total in 2012.

“For $525,000, we could have an attorney, paralegal and secretary all working in-house for the village,” Willhite said. “We shouldn’t have to pay $700,000 a year.”

Using actual billing data provided by Wellington, the report estimated that Wellington could save between $4,550 and $6,500 each

month using an in-house attorney with a salary between $150,000 and $175,000.

“The village has an attractive benefit package that can allow it to attract highly qualified candidates at these salary levels,” the report stated.

The report noted that other cities such as Delray Beach, West Palm Beach and Boca Raton, which are similar in size, have attorney salaries ranging between $130,000 and $218,000.

IMLA used an estimated budget of a legal department that includes a full-time attorney and an administrative assistant (at a salary of $60,000), as well as a $50,000 operating budget, to evaluate the cost difference.

“In March 2012, the village paid for 130.06 hours at the nominal rate

responded Tuesday to a home in Olympia regarding an attempted burglary. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 5:30 and 9:30 a.m., someone attempted to enter the victim’s home through the rear sliding glass door. The victim discovered that the door handle was missing and that the door had been damaged, as if someone tried to pry it open. According to the report, nothing else was missing, damaged or out of place. The perpetrator(s) caused approximately $250 in damage.

There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.

FEB. 19 — A resident of Rustic Ranches contacted the PBSO substation in Wellington on Tuesday evening to report a vehicle burglary. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 6 p.m. last Friday and noon Monday, someone entered the victim’s vehicle and stole several tools. The victim said the tools belonged to her boy-

friend, who had been borrowing her car at the time. According to the report, the victim’s boyfriend said he did not know when or from where the tools had been stolen, as he had driven to several places during that time. The stolen tools were valued at approximately $350.

There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.

FEB. 19 — A Wellington resident called the PBSO substation in Wellington on Tuesday to report a theft. According to a PBSO report, the victim said he had renewed his driver’s license last Tuesday and immediately placed the new decal on his license plate.

Sometime between then and Tuesday afternoon, someone removed the decal from his license plate.

According to the report, the victim believed someone stole it because there were scratch marks in the area of the decal. There was no further information available at the time of the report.

Local Finalists

Lawyer

In-House Suggested

continued from page 1 has been pushing the village to explore its legal options for years, said he believes an in-house attorney is the better option.

“I feel we’ve grown to a point where we need our own attorney,” he said. “Not just our own attorney, but our own legal department.

We were paying our attorney $200 to do something, like making copies, that a paralegal or secretary could do for less. We need more than one person in our legal department.”

Financially, the report estimates that an in-house legal department could cost Wellington less than it

Blotter continued from page 6 hydromorphone pill. Brown was arrested and taken to the Palm Beach County Jail, where he was charged with driving under the influence and possession of a controlled substance.

FEB. 18 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach responded Monday morning to a gas station on Belvedere Road regarding a case of fraud. According to a PBSO report, the victim purchased two lottery tickets from the gas station at approximately 5:30 p.m. When the victim received his change, he noticed that a $10 bill he had been given appeared to be fake. According to the report, the deputy confirmed that the bill was fake and took it for evidence. There was no further information available at the time of the report.

FEB. 19 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Wellington

More than 400 elegant guests donned their most dazzling attire Feb. 9 for the 2013 Cleveland Clinic Florida Ball at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach.

Thanks to the leadership of Dare to Dazzle chairwoman Sydell Miller and her daughter, Lauren Spilman, this year’s event raised an impressive $1.1 million to enhance and advance the premier medical programs and services offered at Cleveland Clinic’s West Palm Beach and Weston locations and support future expansion plans in Palm Beach Gardens and Parkland. Their efforts were aided by vice chairs Bruce and Lori Gendelman, Judith Murat Grubman, Patrick M. Park and Raymond G. Perelman.

The Dare to Dazzle theme was successfully carried through in all aspects of the event, starting from the beautiful décor lining the walkway to the surprise entertainment at every corner. Models who sparkled from head to toe flanked the entrance to the ballroom decorated with colorful pieces of

modern art and mirrored by awe-inspiring living statues. The musical entertainment was provided by the sensational sounds of New York’s famous Starlight Orchestra.

A special highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Sydell L. Miller Award. Dr. Delos “Toby” Cosgrove, CEO of Cleveland Clinic, presented the award to Patrick M. Park for his loyal dedication to supporting the organization’s mission of bringing world-class care to its patients.

Seen dazzling around the dance floor were Donald Trump; Dr. Bernie Fernandez, CEO of Cleveland Clinic Florida; Martha and Melvin Aronson; Lynda and Jeffrey Jacobs; Suzanne and Robert Tomsich; Trisha and Jeff Cole; Beth and Sean Lang; Kathryn and Leo Vecellio; Suzanne and Joe Hickey; Mindy and Bob Rich; and Nancy and Gene Beard.

For more information on Cleveland Clinic Florida, visit www.clevelandclinicflorida.org.

Maureen Witkowski dents the opportunity to succeed on stage and receive recognition.”

The writing program, which Zucker heads, has national and regional award winners. “I really want to get my students to go out into the world and make a name for themselves through recognition,” he said.

Zucker gets his students to volunteer their time by being involved in community events. “They do things like film events for the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge and produce video that they may want to use for their own purposes,” he said.

Wellington Landings Middle School Spanish teacher Ron Wilber is in his third year at that school, but has been teaching for 25 years. Wilber started as a special education teacher, and after 19 years decided to switch to Spanish. “It was a great decision on my

Scott Zucker part to change,” he said. “I love Spanish.”

Seeing children grow and learn is what makes Wilber proud of being a teacher. “To watch people grow and know that I’m directly responsible for their growth reinforces why I like teaching so much,” he said.

Wilber was surprised to learn he’d been nominated. “I’m new at the school, and I did not even think I was very well-known,” he said.

“I think they know I work hard and I’ve stepped into leadership at the school.”

One of the biggest impacts Wilber has made at Wellington Landings is by introducing students and teachers to The Law of the Garbage Truck by David J. Pollay. “It empowers students in how to react to difficult people, and I’ve been using it for several years in my classroom,” he said. “I have

Ron Wilber seen a tremendous difference in my students.”

Even the principal of the school has witnessed the difference. “She came into my classroom last year and saw how I was using it on my students,” Wilber said. “She suggested that I join the Positive Behavior Support Committee and share the idea with the group.”

The school has now adopted the concepts of The Law of the Garbage Truck, which teaches students not to allow people to dump their negativity on them, and has seen a positive change in student behavior. “It’s an incredible concept, and I’ve even taught it in the prison system,” Wilber said.

All finalists will be interviewed by the selection committee. The winners in each category will be announced at an awards ceremony Tuesday, May 7 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.

of $196.27 and the actual rate of $206.08,” according to the report.

“Using the village’s estimates for in-house counsel, and using a work year of 2,080 hours, that same 130.06 hours would cost $156 at the low end and $171 at the high end, saving the village between $4,550 and $6,500 per month.”

But the report also noted that Wellington could receive proposals from private firms to provide legal counsel at a lower cost.

“Those proposals may offer significant savings as compared to using in-house counsel,” the report noted. “For example… the city of Venice, FL recently hired a city attorney who proposed a ‘flat fee’ of $248,625 annually for ‘all routine legal services.’ Any mat-

ters beyond those duties… would be at a proposed hourly rate of $175 for the first year and $195 after that.”

The report cautioned, however, that “all routine legal services” was a broad definition, and that Wellington could pay more in the long term with a private firm that attempted to “lowball” the village for its first year of services, then ask for an increase in salary.

“Built-in escalators in a legal services contract ought to be scrutinized carefully and then markettested as they mount over time,” the report recommended.

Other advantages to a contracted legal firm include using the firm’s malpractice insurance in case of a mistake, a range of exper-

tise among lawyers in the firm and someone able to fill in when the village attorney is absent.

But, ultimately, IMLA recommended in-house counsel for Wellington. “[The recommendation] is based on two major considerations,” the report concluded. “First, it provides a better chance for the village to stabilize its costs for legal services; and second, it reduces the management time for [the] council and staff to manage the work of outside counsel.”

Willhite said he hopes the discussion next week can help move the process along.

“I hope to have a new village attorney by no later than April 1,” he said.

March 20 and $20 thereafter. A free kids fun run/walk will also be held at 9 a.m.

After the run, activities begin at 11 a.m., featuring demonstrations by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue. The PBSO will do a canine demonstration at noon on the stage. They will also have their bomb squad vehicle, a mounted unit and marine craft. PBCFR will do extrication and fire demonstrations.

Musical entertainment will begin at 1 p.m. with local country performer Jess Taylor, followed by national country recording artist Tom Jackson and his band.

Those performances will be followed by three tribute bands — the Orange Sunshine Beatles tribute at 4 p.m., the Long Run Band Eagles tribute at 6 p.m., and Lazy Bonez’ tribute to the ’80s featuring Van Halen and Guns N’ Roses.

An interactive DJ will be playing music throughout the day near the splash pad, along with other

local talent at various locations.

There will be cornhole and volleyball tournaments, and Crazy Games will coordinate field games for kids.

Kayaks, canoes and paddleboats will be available for use on the 19-acre lake, and the driving range will be open for free driving, chipping and putting.

The day will conclude with a Zambelli fireworks display at 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 24 will be more laid-back with a green market and classic car show beginning at 10 a.m. Music will include Billy Bones performing jazz, blues and reggae, followed by Jimmy Buffett tribute band Jimmy Stowe and the Stowaways. Activities will conclude at 5 p.m.

Parking will be available throughout the park, with a shuttle service available within the park. For more information, visit www.royalpalmbeach.com or call the RPB Recreation Center at (561) 790-5124 or the RPB Cultural Center at (561) 790-5149.

New Park

Opening March 2

continued from page 1 where ride bracelets can be purchased for $10, another Food Truck Invasion and a fine arts & crafts exhibition, all of which will be there for the three days of the event. “We will have a variety of vendors out there,” Community & Cultural Events Superintendent Carlos Morales said.

A movie, The Amazing SpiderMan, will be shown at 7:30 p.m., local groups will perform at various locations, and the Taiko Japanese drum corps will do a demonstration.

Saturday, March 23 will kick off with a 5k run at 7:30 a.m. within the park, benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project. Participants can register at the RPB Recreation Center at 100 Sweet Bay Lane or online at www.royalpalmbeach.com at $10 for early registration before

Page 24 February 22 - February 28, 2013

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NEWS

SOUTH FLORIDA FAIRGROUNDS HOSTS ANNUAL SENIOR EXPO & HEALTH PAVILION Humana presented West Palm Beach’s 29th annual Senior Expo & Health Pavilion on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 12 and 13 in the Expo Center at the South Florida Fairgrounds. There were free educational seminars and information on investments, travel, health and fitness, and more, as well as raffles and door prizes.

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

John Lohla with Riunite Carter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

Janet Downey, with Bunny Potalivo, tries out a hot gel pack.

Robert Pyle with Selma Abrams of Wellcare.

Joey Johnson accepts a business card from Curt Graham of Humana.

Katiann Susich of South Florida Radiation Oncology stuffs a goody bag.

Mary Mazzetta and the Coquettes tap dance to “God Bless America.”

RPB SENIORS GROUP ENJOYS VALENTINE’S DAY PARTY AT THE CULTURAL CENTER The Royal Palm Beach Seniors Activities Group celebrated Valentine’s Day with a party on Thursday, Feb. 14 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. Dick Carmine performed songs, while snacks and beverages were served. Two birthdays were celebrated, and volunPHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER teers decorated for the occasion.

Catherine Amico and Doris Montero celebrate their birthdays.

Mae Gold, Rose Brown, Gretchen Lugo, Catherine Amico and Dora Maniscalco.

Cheryl Lower, Doris Montero, Attis Solomon, Vinette Tracey, Kathleen Lannaman and Lawrence Logan.

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February 22 - February 28, 2013 Page 25

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Jumper Derby Day at The Stadium Sunday, February 24, 2013

ENJOY A BEAUTIFUL AFTERNOON AT THE DERBY FIELD! $50,000 HERMÈS JUMPER DERBY STARTING AT 3:00 PM FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 561.793.JUMP (5867) THE STADIUM 13500 SOUTH SHORE BLVD, WELLINGTON, FL 33414 WWW.EQUESTRIANSPORT.COM GENERAL ADMISSION FREE

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Local West Pines 4-H Group Keeps Focus On Horses

Wendy Wagner, of the West Pines chapter of the 4-H Club in Royal Palm Beach, knows all about the positive results 4-H has in young lives. The chapter hosts monthly clinics in The Acreage, which are hands-on affairs involving something to do with horses.

Ellen Rosenberg’s Column, Page 29

February 22 - February 28, 2013 Page 27

Wildcat Baseball Posts 3-1 Win Over Wellington

In the second game of the season for each team, the Royal Palm Beach High School baseball squad defeated Wellington High School by a score of 3-1 on Friday, Feb. 15 in Royal Palm Beach. The Wildcats held off a late rally by the Wolverines to earn the victory. Page 41

Shopping Spree A TOWN-CRIER PUBLICATION

INSIDE

Business A Wide Range Of Legal Services Are Available At Wellington Legal Group

Wellington Legal Group is a one-stop-shop for legal counsel in the western communities. Clients are able to find a wide range of experienced attorneys offering a wide array of legal services. The group encompasses four individual law firms: the Quick Law Firm, the Law Offices of Marc R. Goldstein, Alan S. Zangen Attorneys at Law and the Chapman Law Group. They work together to ensure that all of their clients’ needs are served. Page 31

Sports Bronco Catcher Kyle Perkins Commits To Play Baseball With UCF

Palm Beach Central High School varsity baseball catcher Kyle Perkins committed to play baseball at the University of Central Florida earlier this month, an achievement he considers a “dream come true.” Perkins showcased for UCF in November and was invited to tour the school in February. Page 41

THIS WEEK’S INDEX COLUMNS & FEATURES ........................29-30 BUSINESS NEWS .................................. 31-33 DINING & ENTERTAINMENT ...................... 35 SPORTS & RECREATION ........................ 41-43 COMMUNITY CALENDAR ......................44-45 CLASSIFIEDS ........................................46-50

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February 22 - February 28, 2013 Page 29

FEATURES

Local West Pines 4-H Group Keeps Its Focus On Horses By all accounts, joining a 4-H club is a positive step for any youngster age 8 to 18, fostering responsibility, leadership and community involvement. Plus, it’s a ton of fun.

According to the official 4-H web site, the four Hs are head, heart, hands and health, as reflected in their pledge: “I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service and my health to better living for my club, my community, my country and my world.”

Wendy Wagner knows all about 4-H and the positive results it has in young lives. She has been involved for more than 18 years, first when her kids were members and now as a group leader of the West Pines chapter, located in Royal Palm Beach, along with Katie Wagner, her daughter-in-law, and Heather Draughton, a trainer at nearby Casperey Stables.

“We have a fairly large group of 22,” Wagner said. “They come from all over — The Acreage, Wellington, Lake Worth, North Palm Beach, Loxahatchee. We meet once a month on the first Tuesday evening, and then we have monthly clinics out at my barn in The Acreage.”

The clinics vary, but are decided upon by the members and always are hands-on affairs involving something to do with horses, for Get updates all week long... follow Ellen Rosenberg on Twitter at twitter.com/ HorseTalkFL or stop by the Tales from the Trails page on Facebook and click “like.”

Tales From The Trails

By Ellen Rosenberg this is a group dedicated to learning more about horse care, riding and showing. Clinic topics have included showmanship patterns and hunt seat equitation patterns. Wagner explained the use of patterns.

“When they attend 4-H horse shows, they’re required to ride a certain pattern posted by the judge an hour before the class starts,” she said. “It could include any number of skills: posting without stirrups, riding a figure-eight, changing diagonals, stopping and backing, turns on the forehand or haunches. They have to be done in a certain sequence, so the riders have to be well prepared to do a lot of different maneuvers.”

Although many of the group members own their own horses, that’s not a requirement.

They can borrow or lease a horse, take weekly lessons or just hang out with the other kids and ride now and then.

“But we do a lot of riding,” Wagner stressed.

“Other 4-H groups are into a lot of different things like horticulture, sewing or computers.

This group is into horses.”

The kids run the meetings and decide what

Wendy Wagner can’t say enough good things about 4-H and her group, which is part of the larger Palm Beach County 4-H organization run by the University of Florida. ‘Joining a 4-H club is a wonderful thing for any kid,’ she explained.

‘When they’re a member of a club like this, it fosters a lot of positive peer reinforcement to make better choices.’ projects they want to get involved with. They also do their own fundraising, which helps defray the cost of showing. They show against other groups in the area, designated Area F, which includes Palm Beach, Broward, MiamiDade, Collier, Glades and Hendry counties.

Each group hosts a show, and the other groups attend.

“The local shows are qualifying events,” Wagner explained. “The top percentile point earners go on to the state show in Tampa in July, and then the top winners there advance to the regionals.”

Wagner can’t say enough good things about 4-H and her group, which is part of the larger Palm Beach County 4-H organization run by the University of Florida.

“Joining a 4-H club is a wonderful thing for any kid,” she explained. “When they’re a member of a club like this, it fosters a lot of positive peer reinforcement to make better choices.

They don’t get into trouble. It’s kinda hard to party all night and then get up early to feed and care for your horses. Plus, there’s a huge

community service component. We do things like beach cleanups and visiting nursing homes.”

The kids run their own meetings and set the agenda. “They learn to be team members and help each other out. They show responsibility in getting their horses ready to go in the show ring,” Wagner said. “They have to do it all. It helps make them more outgoing and able to respond well to all sorts of unusual circumstances. There’s so much more to it than just having fun with horses. I’m very proud of our kids.”

And the best thing about being a group leader?

“I get to watch them grow and develop year to year,” she said. “I like seeing the camaraderie and the improved teamwork between the kids and the horses. And I love watching them find ways to help each other and the community. That’s what it’s all about.”

The official 4-H web site bolsters Wagner’s claims about keeping the kids out of trouble.

See ROSENBERG, page 30

Page 30 February 22 - February 28, 2013

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FEATURES

I’ve Decided To Nominate Siri For ‘Woman Of The Year’ I am nominating Siri for Woman of the Year.

This little app (which works through later versions of the iPad, iPod and iPhone) provides crucial information like the name of the nearest Mexican restaurant and step-by-step directions on how to get there. Because of its pleasant female voice and non-judgmental tone, it has doubtless saved countless marriages.

No one argues with Siri. Case in point: Pre-Siri, I would unfold a cumbersome map, which would immediately rip along its fold lines and block Mark’s view out the side mirror. He would yell at me to hurry up and tell him whether to take the next exit, and I (with Get your Sonic Boomer humor every day!

Follow Deborah Welky on Twitter at twitter.com/TheSonicBoomer or stop by “The Sonic Boomer” page on Facebook.

Deborah Welky is

The Sonic BOOMER my vision akin to that of a star-nosed mole) would hurriedly try to assemble the map squares, hunch over them and send him down Highway 177. Too bad. The map read 171.

Fifteen exits later and upon closer inspection (which required the removal of a magnifying glass from the glove compartment and significant eating of crow), I would own up to the fact that maybe I meant Highway 171. Sorry.

This would cause Mark to huff loudly, his way of not yelling but of letting me know he is very, very disappointed in me. We have been married so long, however, that I am immune to the huffing. Not only do I not feel chastised, I resent it.

I whip off my glasses and throw down the magnifying glass and crunch the little map squares up into little map balls and holler, “Well, you find the road if you’re so smart!”

By the time we get to our lunchtime destination, it is dinnertime and we both have upset stomachs, and it is not from the Mexican food.

But, like I said, that was pre-Siri.

Post-Siri, Mark speaks authoritatively into his phone, requesting the names of Mexican restaurants within a 5-mile radius, and Siri, calm and knowledgeable non-entity that she is, lists them. Unlike me, Siri does not warn you not to

go to the first one because it was featured on “Restaurant Impossible” and not to go to the second one because the servers are too slow and not to go to the third one because that’s where one of my boyfriends broke up with me several decades back.

Siri doesn’t care where you go. And if you are heading toward the third restaurant and you change your mind (or I change it for you by screaming, “I am not eating in there!”), she will promptly send you along to your next choice without editorial comment.

Similarly, if you make a wrong turn along the way, Siri will not punch you on the arm and snarl: “This is a one-way street, for Pete’s sake! Did you even take driver’s ed?” No, Siri will sweetly guide you to the next left turn and then the next right turn until you’re back on track. She’s understanding that way.

In fact, I could learn a lot from her.

It’s Natural To Mourn When Our ‘Heroes’ Let Us Down It is not pleasant to learn that our sports and entertainment idols have feet of clay, but it is far worse when those people also have seemed to personally shine above and beyond their abilities. Golf addicts mourned the ruin of Tiger Woods after the breakup of his marriage, but he was simply an admired athlete. But two recently disgraced heroes hurt people far more with their behavior.

Lance Armstrong and Oscar Pistorius were admired far more than for athletic accomplishment. Armstrong was the winner of seven Tour de France bicycling events, but everyone also knew that he had fought and beaten cancer before he competed. He got a bad deal, it seemed, but was victorious. He beat guys who had never had to face death the way he had; who never had to face the horror of anti-cancer treatments, which are often almost as debilitating as the disease. People who had cancer, people who had beaten cancer, people who had family members fight and/or succumb to the disease, could root for him. He worked with those who were cancer-stricken.

He visited children in hospitals, where his very existence, beyond his athletic ability, provided hope. The other cyclists were athletes; he was a hero.

And Oscar Pistorius had an even tougher climb. A double amputee since before he was a year old, he overcame the lack of the bottom parts of his legs. Not only did he walk, he ran.

LGLA To Host Candidates Forum At Feb. 28 Meeting The Loxahatchee Groves Landowners’ Association will meet Thursday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. at Palms West Presbyterian Church (13689 Okeechobee Blvd., Loxahatchee Groves).

This month’s meeting will be a candidates forum. The moderator will formulate questions relating to issues of concern to residents of the Town of Loxahatchee Groves.

The candidates will have an opportunity to introduce themselves at the beginning.

After they answer questions from the moderator, they will have a chance to give a

‘I’ On CULTURE

By Leonard Wechsler And he ran so well that he became a symbol of hope for many other handicapped athletes.

He was good enough that he even competed and won a place on the South African Olympic Team last year and competed against those who never faced his level of problem. He seemed to demonstrate that even if one had a handicap, it could be overcome. His had been genetic, but there were children all over the world who had lost limbs for many different reasons who saw him as a portent that losing one part or even two did not mean the loss of a chance in life.

And then the heroes fell. There had been charges for years that Armstrong used banned drugs. And just as quickly as charges were made, Armstrong and his supporters pointed to his unblemished record in drug testing. But the charges kept coming, and finally, we now learn that he did take drugs, that he had lied to the public all along. The fact that just about everyone on the Tour de France circuit uses summary, telling why they should be the voters’ choice. The moderator may allow questions from the audience. In addition to the forum, there will be time for socializing and getting to know your neighbor.

For additional information about the Feb. 28 meeting or the Loxahatchee Groves Landowners’ Association, contact LGLA President Marge Herzog at (561) 791-9875.

R.P. Mazda Supports Street Painting Festival Royal Palm Mazda is proud to support the 19th annual Compass Street Painting Festival, which is now the largest of its kind in the world. Set for Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 23 and 24, it features more than 600 artists bring-

drugs means little. There was a marvelous skit on Saturday Night Live where one of the awards is given to a chubby guy who placed just about at the end but was the only person not taking drugs. That was an overstatement, of course, but the cycling leadership decided not to give anyone else the medals because the cheating was so widespread that there was no guarantee that a cheater would not be rewarded.

And the case of Pistorius seems even sadder. Charged with the murder of his girlfriend, he now is a sad example of trying to cast people in leadership roles when they do not clearly lead. He overcame a lot; his accomplishments on the track were not marred by cheating, although some people said that the technology in his legs gave him an advantage.

But his personal life seems to have ruined everything. We have seen this before: Note O.J. Simpson. But no matter the outcome of the South African judicial process, he is ruined as a hero.

We need heroes. Celebrity worship is tied more to physical beauty, some talent, some accomplishment that generally has nothing at all to do with personal character. When a Charlie Sheen misbehaves, we shrug. When an Alex Rodriguez faces drug-use charges again, we simply attribute his personal failure to his own character and write him off. Our celebrity press has basically become an ining the streets of downtown Lake Worth to life.

As premier sponsor, Royal Palm Mazda is honored to be unveiling the all-new 2014 Mazda 6 along with several other models. Visitors will be able to spin the prize wheel, with two lucky attendees winning a four-day, threenight Caribbean vacation, in addition to bags, gift cards and other fabulous prizes, all courtesy of Royal Palm Mazda.

Royal Palm Mazda works in conjunction with downtown Lake Worth and the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce in supporting the event, with street performers, strolling minstrels, main stage musical entertainment and the Festival Food Court.

For more about the street painting festival, visit www.streetpaintingfestivalinc.org.

dustry obsessed with cataloging the bad behavior of the well-known.

But when we look to personal heroes, those who go the extra mile, to become role models, we may be forced to recognize they can often turn out to have feet of clay. Perhaps we are wrong to hold up these people as exemplars, but what else can we do? We no longer simply worship war heroes. Our politicians too often seem corrupt, although we are corrupt enough to accept it if they do things that favor us.

So we raise certain people above us, and unfortunately, we are too often disappointed.

I have no easy answer; I doubt one exists.

Rosenberg

West Pines 4-H

continued from page 29 According to a study done by Tufts University, members of 4-H are nearly two times more likely to get better grades in school and plan to go to college, less likely to engage in risky behaviors, and more likely to positively contribute to their families and communities.

Brianna Alvarez, 17, is the group’s president. She has been a member for five years.

“I like it a lot,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun. I like being with the other kids, because we have a lot in common and all love horses. The clinics are cool. I’d recommend this group to anyone who’s interesting in learning more about horses.”

Fifteen-year-old Tierney Boyle has been a member of West Pines for six years and is the county council representative, attending the county meetings with other local groups.

“I like attending the clinics a lot,” she said.

“We learn a lot of new stuff. It’s fun running our own meetings and choosing what we want to do. Our voices get heard. I’m so glad I’m involved. I’ve met a lot of great people. It’s changed my perspective. I see things more positively.”

“Anyone who might be interested should give me a call and come out to see what we do,” Wagner said. “We’re always looking for new members.”

For more information about this group, call Wendy Wagner at (561) 723-9544.

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BUSINESS NEWS

Wellington Legal Group attorneys Avery S. Chapman, Alan Zangen, Jaime Abigail Quick and Marc Goldstein.

PHOTO BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER

Wide Range Of Services At Wellington Legal Group

By Jessica Gregoire Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington Legal Group is a one-stop-shop for legal counsel in the western communities.

Clients are able to find a wide range of experienced attorneys offering a wide array of legal services.

The group encompasses four individual law firms: the Quick Law Firm, the Law Offices of Marc R. Goldstein, Alan S. Zangen Attorneys at Law and the Chapman Law Group. They work together to ensure all clients’ needs are served.

Together, the group has more than 90 years of legal experience. Attorneys Avery S. Chapman, Alan Zangen, Jaime Abigail Quick and Marc Goldstein founded Wellington Legal Group in November 2011.

“It was a joint idea amongst all of us because we realized there was a need in Wellington and the western communities for competent representation in a variety of areas — a place where we can handle all of our clients’ needs and feel comfortable with who they are being referred to for other legal needs,” Chapman said.

Chapman is the owner of the Chapman Law Group, which offers complex business law, commercial litigation matters, wealth management and general counsel to private family practices. “My main specialty is that I’m a recognized expert in equine law,” he said.

As an equine law expert, Chapman deals with anything concerning horses, from real estate to businesses. Chapman received his law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 1991. He is a member of the Florida, New Jersey and Connecticut bar associations. He is also admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.

For clients with legal family issues, Quick, co-owner of the Quick Law Firm, works along with her father, Dr. James R. Quick, Esq., to handle family law needs. Services include divorce, alimony, pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements, and child custody issues.

Quick received her law degree from Nova Southeastern University School of Law and has been practicing law for 12 years. She is a member of the Florida Bar. “My father, who is

my law partner, also specializes in dental malpractice,” Quick said. “He’s also a licensed dentist and practiced dentistry for the majority of his professional career.”

Goldstein brings expertise in personal injury and wrongful death cases. “That includes any kind of vehicular accident whether it be automobile, bus or motorcycle,” he said. “I also handle traffic matters related to those accidents and independent of those like people who have lost their license or DUI cases.”

Goldstein has a background as an assistant public defender and was the chief of the Palm Beach County Public Defenders Office for four years. “Since leaving that office, I’ve been practicing now for close to 36 years,” he said.

Goldstein received his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law in 1976 and is a member of the Florida and New York bars.

Having his practice a part of Wellington Legal Group has been beneficial. “I’m able to draw upon everyone’s expertise,” he said. “If I’m dealing with a client who just had an accident and now they’re having a problem with their marriage or splitting of the proceeds, it’s good to have Quick or Zangen available for that.”

Zangen has been practicing law in Wellington since 1980. “I was one of the first attorneys in Wellington,” he said.

Zangen’s firm handles trusts, estates, probate issues, real estate purchase and sales, and zoning issues. “I have more of a general practice, but I specialize in commercial and residential real estate matters,” he said. “I also do business litigation, probates, wills and trusts, and homeowner association defense.”

Zangen received his law degree from the John Marshall Law School in 1978 and is a member of the Florida, New York and Illinois bars. He is actively involved in the community. “I’m a general counsel for the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce, on the board of trustees of Palms West Hospital and the special master for the Village of Wellington,” he said.

Wellington Legal Group is located at 12008 South Shore Blvd., Suite 107, Wellington. For more information, visit www.wellingtonlegal groupfl.com or call (561) 422-0400.

February 22 - February 28, 2013 Page 31

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BUSINESS NEWS

Wellington Chamber Welcomes Louise Smith Consulting The Wellington Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Louise Smith Consulting located at 13279 Bedford Mews in Wellington. Owner Louise Smith has extensive marketing experience, having worked in senior management positions in charge of market-

ing at companies such as Apple, Hitachi and BEA Systems, as well as various nonprofit organizations.

Smith was born in Arlington, Va., raised in Lancaster, Pa. and moved to the San Francisco Bay area during high school. She received her bachelor’s degree in sociology and

Area PCAHU Members Attend State Conference Local Palm Coast Association of Health Underwriters members represented PCAHU Jan. 14-15 at the Florida Association of Health Underwriters state conference.

In attendance were President Beverly Kingsley, President-Elect Debbie Hollister, First Vice President Steve Israel, Second Vice President Keith Jordano, Legislative Chair Julian Lago and Member Silvia Garcia.

These Florida health insurance agents went to Tallahassee to speak with Florida legislators regarding “PPACA Exchange, Navigators and the Real Coast of Healthcare.”

Even though Florida will most likely not have its own state exchange in 2014, FAHU is eager to work with legislators on the construction of an

exchange, whether through existing vehicles or creating something new.

Navigators should be licensed and regulated by the Office of Insurance Regulation. FAHU would like to see Florida take its own steps to address the problem of affordable quality health insurance coverage.

“These two days spent speaking with our legislators was very encouraging because they truly want what is best for the people in Florida,” Kingsley said.

Members of PCAHU participate in local, state and federal legislative and public policy development that is of mutual interest to its clients, the consuming public, its membership, and the greater health and disability benefits community. For info., visit www.pcahu.org.

psychology from San Jose State University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Stanford University.

Smith came to Wellington in 2012 and fell in love with the community.

She owns horses and loves to ride, so Wellington was a perfect home for her, her husband and four horses.

“I currently have a successful consulting business in the San Francisco Bay area,” Smith said. “In Wellington, I’m really interested in doing project and program consulting, and it can be in any aspect of marketing. That includes press releases, public relations, events, web sites, positioning, branding, collateral development, marketing materials.”

Smith said she is well rounded in her expertise and experience. She has worked for 25 years doing marketing for startup companies to large Fortune 500 corporations and nonprofits. “I’ve got the experience across lots of different organizations and lots of different sectors, including nonprofits, so I have a very large bag of tricks. I’ve worked with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Apple Computer, Hitachi, BEA Systems (software company). I’ve done services, hardware, software in the high-tech industry. I’ve worked in education

Ribbon Cutting — Louise Smith (fourth from left) with Wellington Chamber ambassador s Denise Carpenter, Barbara Nola, Mark “Boz” Bozicevic, Dale Grimm and Carmine Marino. and the arts nonprofits, so I have a broad portfolio. You name it, I’ve done it all in marketing.”

Smith said her marketing forte is in branding. “Everything that a company does right down to how the employees act reflects their brand.

It’s important to infuse the brand into every aspect of what the business and workers do. This will attract customers, retain customers and build

customer loyalty. That’s what I’m really good at.”

For more information about Louise Smith Consulting, call Smith at (408) 218-8925 or e-mail lsmithhsf@ sbcglobal.net.

For more information about businesses in the Wellington area, call (561) 792-6525 or visit the Wellington Chamber web site at www. wellingtonchamber.com.

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BUSINESS NEWS

Tom Livoti Now Operating A New Charity Store On Northlake Blvd.

A new opportunity for shopping is opening in February along Northlake Blvd. It is a spot where browsers and buyers can not only find well-maintained home goods, but also support area foster children.

Wellington resident Tom Livoti is the store’s general manager.

Treasures for Hope charity store is the newest venture by child welfare organization Place of Hope, which allows retail enthusiasts to find a bargain and help youth who need assistance during some of the most crucial stages of their lives. In addition to shoppers, Treasures for Hope welcomes those who have home furnishings they would like to donate to a worthy cause. Located at 3540 Northlake Blvd., the charity store is within walking distance of Villages of Hope, Place of Hope’s sister organization, which serves young adults who have aged out of foster care.

The charity store has already accepted several estate donations from Frenchmen’s Creek, Ballen Isles, PGA National, Admiral’s Cove and the Town of Palm Beach. The main space is filled with like-new sofas, cabinets, armoires, wall hang-

ings, dining room sets, mirrors and tables. A smaller boutique area features name-brand clothing, accessories and jewelry.

Livoti views the charity store as a community resource for donors, shoppers and the youth under Place of Hope/Villages of Hope’s care.

“The first use of donations is to fill the needs of our children,” Livoti said. “If someone needs a bed or a dresser, we provide them first selection of our donations, which directly saves on expenses. The store will also provide job training experience for our older kids, allow our youth mentoring relationships with craftsmen who work in the furniture industry and give us opportunities to share the mission of Place of Hope with the public.”

Treasures for Hope joins other area stores that support nonprofit organizations, including Goodwill boutiques, the Give and the Church Mouse. Assistant Manager Brittany McInnis said Treasures for Hope is distinguishing itself among shoppers and donors with its cause and mission.

“The proceeds of the charity store will directly support the mission of

Tom Livoti and Brittany McInnis.

Place of Hope,” McInnis said. “In the last decade, Place of Hope has grown from one family cottage to six cottages, the Seven Stars Emergency Shelter for boys, Joann’s Cottage for pregnant teens, Villages of Hope for emancipated foster youth, and Homes of Hope for foster care and adoption placement and support. We welcome the community to help us help our youth.”

For more information, call Treasures for Hope at (561) 691-8881 or visit www.treasuresforhope.org.

February 22 - February 28, 2013 Page 33

Wellington Ballet Theatre Designated Public Charity Wellington Ballet Theatre has announced its official status as a 501(c)3 public charity. The nonprofit ballet company has received its official status from the IRS and is now classified as a public charity.

Contributions made to the foundation are tax deductible. The foundation is now qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, transfers or gifts.

Wellington Ballet Theatre has been in operation for two years and is a member of the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County. It is dedicated to providing the highest standards of classical training, dance education and performance to the South Florida area. The company has brought several successful performances to venues in Wellington and Belle Glade, including a packed performance of The Nutcracker at the Wellington Amphitheater. All of these performances have been free or low cost. Under the artistic direction of Rocky Duvall in association with choreographer Melissa Waters, the company strives to be an example of excellence for dancer development, building self-esteem and professionalism in its dancers as well as promoting a deep appreciation for

the arts throughout the community.

Wellington Ballet Theatre performs historical classical ballets as well as original and innovative choreographies. Its auditions, workshops, master classes and dance demonstrations are open to all members of the community.

Upcoming events include a spring dance concert featuring the music of George Winston on May 10 and 11 at the Wellington Amphitheater; auditions for its fall production of Ballet Off-Broadway on Sunday, April 21 for the performance Sept. 6-8; its 2013 fundraiser event “An Evening at Tavern on the Green” on Aug. 30; auditions on Sept. 14 for the annual Nutcracker, scheduled for Dec. 6-8; auditions for the May 2014 production of Snow White will be held Jan. 4, 2014. 2015 will see its production of Cinderella in addition to the annual Nutcracker and fundraising event.

Wellington Ballet Theatre invites contributors, volunteers, corporate sponsors and charitable donations to help support its programming. For additional information visit www. wellingtonballettheatre.org or contact Company Manager Randy Ballen at (561) 296-1880.

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February 22 - February 28, 2013 Page 35

DINING & ENTERTAINMENT

Cultural Council’s ‘Artist As Author’ Exhibit Opens March 16 The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County presents “Artist as Author,” an exhibition and lecture series by artists of various creative disciplines who are authors. Original works by these Palm Beach County artists and the books they created will be on display and for sale in the Cultural Council’s gallery and Uniquely Palm Beach Store throughout the exhibition from March 16 through May 18 at 601 Lake Ave. in Lake Worth.

A lecture series component, offering guests the chance to meet the artists exhibiting, and to ask them questions about their works, will take place at 3 p.m. on three special dates: April 2, April 16 and April 30 at the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County. Admission is free for members and $10 for nonmembers.

Seating is limited, so RSVP is required at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/artistauthor lectures.

Fourteen Palm Beach County artists whose works and books makeup the exhibition “Artist as Author” represent a diverse variety of art mediums, including painting, sculpting, photography, printing, architectural design and interior design.

“We are particularly pleased to present an exhibition with so many prominent and accomplished artists,” said Rena Blades, president and chief executive officer of the Cultural Council.

All of the artists exhibiting in “Artist as Author” have published books to expose (Left) Edwina Sandys’ mixed-media piece Literary Woman.

more people to their discipline with photographs of their works and essays about the meaning and techniques associated with creating them. Others have enjoyed success by writing content for books about topics unrelated, or tangentially connected to their artistic specialty.

The group of artists participating in the exhibition are Harry Benson, celebrated photographer; JoAnne Berkow, realist painter and gallery owner; Geoffrey Bradfield, nationally recognized interior designer; Carlos Castellanos, syndicated cartoonist; Nancy Ellison, celebrity portrait photographer; Stephen Gibson, award-winning poet; Bruce Helander, collage artist; John Loring, iconic design director emeritus at Tiffany & Co. and silk screen artist; John Mercurio and Andrew Kato, award-winning composer/lyricist and concept developer; Edwina Sandys, renowned painter and sculptor; Barry Seidman, still life photographer; Jeffery W. Smith, recognized architect; and Sandra Thompson, a Palm Beach painter.

The Cultural Council is Palm Beach County’s official arts agency and serves nonprofit cultural organizations and professional artists throughout the county. The Cultural Council’s responsibilities include marketing the county’s cultural experiences to visitors and residents, administering grants to organizations and artists, expanding arts and cultural education opportunities, advocating for funding and arts-friendly policies, and serving cultural organizations and artists through capacity building training

Nancy Ellison’s photograph Mick Jagger. and exposure to funders and audiences.

Admission to the Cultural Council is free and open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For additional information about “Artist as Author,” visit the Cultural Council’s web site at www.palm beachculture.com.

CGMS Gallery To Feature Wood & Glass Artists March 1 Clay-Glass-Metal-Stone Gallery features two of its most recent artists and one overwhelming old-time favorite as it presents works of finely crafted wooden pieces and lampworked (or spun) glass figures.

As the nonprofit artist cooperative begins its last month at the 605 Lake Avenue location in downtown Lake Worth, it has planned a whirlwind of special events, starting with “Wooden Fantasies with a Touch of Glass,” which will take place on Friday, March 1 from 6 to 9 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Loxahatchee artist Eric Codner, crafter of finely made jewelry boxes, tables and mirrors, employs local and exotic woods in his work. A selftaught woodworker who has honed his craft over a 20-year period, Codner’s works are as pleasing to the eye as his finishes are to the touch.

He works in the style of Queen Anne, Chippendale, Federal and Arts & Crafts. Perfection in execution and visual beauty are trademarks of Codner’s work. Using hand tools gives him the freedom to create without the limitations imposed by machinery. Clear finishes bring out the natural beauty of the wood.

David Cericola, master woodcarver, creates birds that are so lifelike that the gallery has been asked if they are products of taxidermy. Each

A jewelry box made by Loxahatchee artist Eric Codner. feather is carved to perfection. Each bird appears to be live and in its natural setting. Complementing the carved wood is exquisitely formed metal work for the legs and vegetation. Because of the many months it takes to create each work, when one sells, it is not immediately replaced.

Each new carving is of yet another bird living in the Florida wetlands.

No birds are ever repeated.

Wayne Smith has become a glass-spinning one-man show at the CGMS Gallery. In demand for demonstrations, he sits outside the gallery, creating fantasy figures, animals of all kinds and sailing ships. Smith quickly dispels the notion that he is a glass blower by demonstrating the art of spinning. Those with pets bring him pictures, and within a few minutes,

Master woodcarver David Cericola created this tricolored heron.

Smith recreates the animal in glass.

Collectors of pigs, ducks or dragons try to stump him, but all fail as the collectable appears before their very eyes.

Clay-Glass-Metal-Stone Cooperative Gallery is sponsored by the Flamingo Clay Studio, a nonprofit arts organization whose mission is to provide affordable studio and gallery space for three-dimensional

artists. The gallery is located at 605 LakeAve. in downtown Lake Worth.

Hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 1 to 9 p.m.

Gallery openings are held the first and third Friday of each month from 6 to 9 p.m. For information, call the gallery at (561) 588-8344 or visit its web site at www.clayglassmetal stone.com or its blog at cgms gallery.blogspot.com.

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Camp Cambridge, serving age two through second grade, combines academic excellence, summertime fun and a safe environment to create an unforgettable summer experience. Theme-based curriculum and in-house field trips complement the concepts explored by all. There are nine weeks of camp offered at Cambridge Schools, located at 1920 Royal Fern Drive in Wellington. Activities include swimming, art, math, computers, sports, science and cooking. A certified swim instructor provides instruction to children ages three and up, Mommy & Me classes, private/group lessons and team swim programs. Bilingual classes, kindergarten readiness and enrichment classes are available as well. For more information, visit www.cambridgepreschools.com.

Camp Dovewood is an interdenominational Christian camp for girls ages seven to 14 in North Florida. Camp activities include horseback riding and instruction (including hunt seat, dressage, western, pleasure, rodeo riding, horse shows, overnight trail rides, vet care seminar and stable management), swimming, water ballet, music, dance, gymnastics, cheerleading, baton, archery, drama, ar t, softball, river raf ting, basketball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, great books, digital photography and bible classes. For more information, visit www.campdovewood.org, call (386) 935-0863 or e-mail campdovewood@ windstream.net.

Camp Varsity/Building Up Sports Academy is a full-day sports camp during the summer located at Wellington Landings Middle School. This camp is action-packed, combining a mix of team sports with fishing, karate and dance/cheerleading. Camp Varsity focuses on sportsmanship and teamwork as well as developing new sports skills. The camps have a different sports theme each week. No matter the theme or week, campers will have the option to participate in many different sports and recreational games.

Sports included every week are basketball, soccer, baseball, football, kickball, fishing, dance/cheerleading, golf, recreational games and more. For more information, visit www.buildingupsportsacademy.com or call (561) 601-5248.

Casperey Stables Horse Camp is a small, fun-filled day camp for children ages seven to 14. With four riding opportunities each day, arts & crafts and outdoor games, campers find little time to be bored. The low counselor-child ratio ensures your child will receive individual attention. There are camp sessions for spring and winter school breaks, and during the summer. Each tw o-week session has a theme, such as Indian Days, Circus Days and Medieval Days. Casperey Stables has a weekly swim party and ends each session with a horse show and family barbecue. To learn more about the camp, located at 2330 D Road in Loxahatchee Groves, call (561) 792-4990 or visit www.casperey stables.com.

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The Lab/High Touch High Tech brings science to life with hands-on experiments provided by High Touch High Tech, the leader in science education for the last 18 years.

Each day will be a new adventure, from interacting with real lab critters to launching rockets and panning for gems. Conveniently located off State Road 7 and Lantana Road, this unique facility offers affordable pricing, experiments with lots of cool takehomes, arts and crafts, physical activities and more. The Lab taps into children’s natural curiosity and provides them with safe and fun activities that help them learn about the world. Children can expect to have fun while they make slime, erupt volcanoes, make ice cream, make tie dye t-shirts and more. Call (561) 444-3978 or visit www.thelabfor kids.com for more information.

The Mattisyn School offers an early childhood campus summer camp as an extension of its academic excellence, combining themed curriculum with summertime fun. The camp focuses on age-appropriate activities including music, dance, games and arts & crafts in a clean, safe and secure environment. Conveniently located on Okeechobee Blvd., one mile west of the turnpike, it is a fully-licensed campus with webcam services.

The Mattisyn School’s mission is to empower and inspire the individual child by creating meaningful positive experiences. For more information, visit www.mattisynschool.com or call (561) 318-5750.

At Noah’s Ark Summer Camp, children will enjoy field trips and activities such as swimming, bowling, skating, South Florida Science Museum, movies and picnics. Tuition includes camera surveillance, creative curriculum, computers and all meals. Registration is now being accepted. Registration is free for new customers only. Noah’s Ark is located at 14563 Okeechobee Blvd. in Loxahatchee Groves. For more information, call (561) 753-6624 or visit www.smallworldpbc.com.

February 22 - February 28, 2013 Page 37

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SPORTS & RECREATION

Wildcat Baseball Squad Posts 3-1 Win Over Wellington

By Gene Nardi Town-Crier Staff Report In the second game of the season for each team, the Royal Palm Beach High School baseball squad defeated Wellington High School by a score of 3-1 on Friday, Feb. 15 in Royal Palm Beach. The Wildcats held off a late rally by the Wolverines to earn the victory.

The Wildcats had a rough start in their opener against South Broward, falling 5-4. Wellington came into the contest having won their opener, a 7-0 rout of Spanish River.

Defense dominated on both sides until the Wildcats opened up with some solid hitting in the bottom of the third inning. Royal Palm Beach

was able to load the bases. Wellington’s defensive highlight came when first baseman Phillip Sieli created his own double play when he snared in a high line drive down the first base line, and then got the Wildcat runner out at first.

The Wildcats were still able to drive in two runs to take the lead into the fourth inning. By the close of the fourth inning, the Wildcats would extend their lead 3-0.

In the sixth inning, Royal Palm Beach was able to hold off a Wellington surge. With the bases loaded and two outs, the Wildcat third baseman grabbed a Wolverine fly ball to close out the inning.

Wellington managed one score in

the final inning but could not connect at bat with enough success to close the gap, and the Wildcats held on for the 3-1 victory. Royal Palm tallied eight hits. Both teams committed two errors.

Wellington traveled Saturday, Feb. 16 to Boca Raton, where they chalked up an 11-1 victory. The Wolverines followed that up with a Tuesday home game against Seminole Ridge, coming away with an 8-3 victory. Wellington then traveled to John I. Leonard Thursday, Feb. 21, but results were not available at press time.

Royal Palm Beach travels to Key West on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 22 and 23.

PHOTOS BY GENE NARDI/TOWN-CRIER

Wellington batter Phillip Sieli sprints to first base.

RPB right fielder Justin Douglas makes a catch.

Wellington’s Michael Cusenza dives back to first base as RPB first baseman Matt Melnik looks to make the play.

Wellington’s Danny Bigtree is safe after stealing second base.

Bronco Catcher Perkins Commits To Play Baseball With UCF

By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Palm Beach Central High School varsity baseball catcher Kyle Perkins committed to play baseball at the University of Central Florida earlier this month, an achievement he considers a “dream come true.”

“I’m really excited,” said the scholar-athlete, who grew up playing baseball in Wellington’s recreational and travel programs. “I started playing baseball when I was 5 years old.”

As a member of the Wellington Warriors travel baseball team, Perkins made it to play in Cooperstown, N.Y., twice. He also played for the American Legion and the South Florida Clippers. He was later part of the first-ever conference-winning baseball team at Polo Park Middle School.

Though Perkins has experience pitching, catching and playing the infield, he said he enjoys catching because it gives him the opportunity to control the game.

“I like commanding the field,” he

said. “I can see every single play and can tell the pitcher what to throw, or tell the guys where to throw it.”

He also knows what to expect from his position at home plate.

“I’m in every play,” he said. “I’m not sitting back waiting for the ball to come to me. I know what’s coming.”

A senior at PBCHS, Perkins joined the varsity baseball team last year and won the Varsity Baseball Coaches Award for his efforts on and off the field.

“That was a big deal for me,” Perkins said. “It was my first year playing varsity.”

Perkins is not just an exemplary baseball player; he also excels in the classroom, where he maintains a high GPA and is enrolled in advanced courses. He is also dedicated to his community and has more than 160 hours of community service logged. Perkins is part of the community-service oriented BETA National Honor Society and has spent many summers teaching chil-

dren how to play baseball.

Currently, Perkins is the varsity catcher and co-captain of the Broncos under the tutelage of head coach Scott Benedict, who Perkins credits with helping him catch the attention of UCF coach Terry Rooney.

“Anyone who knows coach [Benedict] knows that he’s a really great coach,” Perkins said. “When he says he’s got a good player, they know he’s telling the truth. I think his reputation helped me.”

And with Benedict’s coaching, Perkins said he will be well prepared for playing at UCF. “[Benedict] treats it like a college team, which I really like,” he said.

“He really motivates us. He treats it like a whole year program. I saw a UCF practice, and it was very similar to ours — very fast paced. I felt like I’d be able to keep up with them.”

Perkins said he was attracted to UCF because of its rising baseball team as well as its academics. “It’s a growing school,” he said. “Their baseball team is in the top 25, and I

thought it would be great to play there. I then found out that they have a great engineering program, and that’s what I want to major in.”

Perkins showcased for UCF in November and was invited to tour the school in February. The tour ended with an offer from the university to attend and play baseball.

Perkins’ mother, Deanna, said that the UCF coaches were impressed with his style behind the plate.

“There were many catchers to choose from,” she said. “They were impressed not only by the talent be brought, but by his intensity behind the plate. Nobody else talked. That stuck out to [the coaches at UCF].

They told him that when they made the offer.”

Perkins said he was taught to command the game by not only Benedict, but also coach Pedro Gavillian, who was a professional catcher.

“I want to thank both [coaches] for always pushing me to be my best,” Perkins said. “I’d also like to thank Terry Rooney for this amaz-

Kyle Perkins visits the University of Central Florida. ing opportunity, and my parents and brother for their love and encouragement on and off the field.”

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WHS WRESTLERS QUALIFY FOR STATE TOURNAMENT

SPORTS & RECREATION

Tyler Kuhman with his father Tim Kuhlman and WHS boys lacrosse coach Joe Calby.

The Wellington High School wrestling team qualified three wrestlers for the state tournament the weekend of Feb. 9-10. Sophomore Andrew Mitchell (106 pounds) finished in fourth place at the regional tournament and currently holds a 42-7 season record. Junior Briar Macfarlane (120 pounds) finished in third place at the regional tournament and currently holds a 40-3 season record. Junior Nik Bonadies (126 pounds) qualified finished in second place at the regional tournament to qualify for the second straight year and currently holds a 41-6 season record.

Shown above are Bonadies, Macfarlane and Mitchell.

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Tyler Kuhman commits to Florida Southern College on National Signing Day. PHOTOS BY GENE NARDI/TOWN-CRIER

Kuhlman Signs To Play Lacrosse At FSC Wellington High School boys lacrosse player Tyler Kuhlman has signed with Florida Southern College to play lacrosse.

The senior attackman is team captain for the Wolverines. He set the school scoring record during the 2012

season with 60 goals and 47 assists. He also was voted team MVP, and earned first team all-district and second team all-region honors.

Kuhlman also played club lacrosse with Team 22 and Team Florida. Kuhlman is a Brine All-American and

played in the National Lacrosse Classic representing Florida.

After considering several Division I offers, Kuhlman decided to stay in Florida, committing to the FSC Moccasins under coach Marty Ward. Kuhlman will study

business and sports management.

Kuhlman still has one more season as a Wolverine before he embarks on his future as an FSC Moccasin and hopes to make an impact by helping lead the Wolverines into the 2013 season.

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SPORTS & RECREATION

CATS Gymnastic Team Competes At Sun & Surf Invitational The CATS of Wellington competitive team competed in the 2013 Sun & Surf Invitational, held Jan. 19-20 in Coral Springs.

In Level 2, Sophia Roberts was the highest scorer, earning an overall score of 37.8, which included receiving a 9.5 on both beam and floor, 9.45 on bars and 9.35 on vault. Alyssa Santoro received scores of 9 on vault, 9.4 on bars, 9.3 on beam and 9.35 on floor. Keelin Coleman earned a 9.25 on both bars and beam, 9.3 on vault and 9.15 on floor. Aliyah Perez received a 9.5 on bars, 9 on beam and 9.2 on floor. Natalie Bornel received a 9.5 on bars and 9.05 on both beam and floor. Jordan Welsh received a 9.4 on bars and 9 on both beam and floor. Ava Delafe scored a 9.1 on bars and 9 on both vault and floor. Allison Franck earned a 9.35 on bars and 9 on beam. Kyleigh Gardner received a 9.05 on vault.

In Level 3, Sasha Campbell received first all around in her age group in her first meet competing in this level. Her overall score was 36.35, which included a first-place vault score of 8.95 and scores of 9.3 on bars, 9.15 on beam and 8.95 on floor. Zoe Kyrkostas was second all around in her group, earning a first-place 9.65 on vault, and scores of 9.7 on bars, 9.45 on beam and 9.75 on floor. Sophia Rodriguez was also in this group, receiving a 9.15 on vault and 9.2 on beam.

In the next Level 3 age group, Angelina Apicella was third all around, earning scores of 9.4 on both vault and floor, 9.6 on bars and 9.5 on beam. Karlie Navor received a 9.1 on both beam and floor, 9.05 on vault and 9.15 on

bars. Jessica Vanravenswaay received a 9.1 on vault, 9.3 on bars and 9.2 on floor. Hailey Gruber scored a 9.1 on beam and 9.05 on floor.

Nicole Campos earned a 9 on vault.

In the last age group for Level 3, Kayla Levins earned second all around, including a 9.7 first place on floor, 9.35 vault, 9.6 on bars and 9.65 on beam. Sophia LaCosta received a 9 on beam and floor, 9.3 on vault and 9.5 on bars. Arianna Nettles scored a 9.1 on vault, 9.4 on bars and 9.2 on floor. Katie Lettera earned a 9.1 on vault and 9.5 on floor. The Level 3 team finished second all around in the team standings.

In Level 4, Alexis Merritt finished fourth all around, receiving first-place scores on vault (9.6) and bars (9.4), and a 9.275 on floor. Alexa Alvarez received a first place score of 9.5 on floor and a 9 on bars. Allison Bunchuk earned a first place score of 8.95 on beam and a 9.3 on both bars and floor. In the next age group, Faith Campagnuolo finished second all around, earning scores of 9.6 on vault and 9.3 on floor.

Hannah Hutchins received an 8.75 on floor and 8.7 on bars. The Level 4 team finished third all around in the team standings.

In Level 5, Arabella Campbell, competing for the first time at this level, finished first all around in her age group with a score of 35.525, which included first place on vault with a 9.15, and scores of 9.125 on bars, 8.15 on beam and 9.1 on floor. Brieanna McCaffrey earned a first place score on floor of 9.15. In the next age group, Bianca Sileo finished third all around, including a 9.125 on floor. Samantha Baez

The CATS of Wellington competitive team with their latest awards. earned third on bars with a score of 8.875. The Level 5 team finished first all around in the team standings.

In XCEL Open, Isabella Padilla finished fifth all around in her group, scoring 8.9 on floor, 7.8 on bars, 7.85 on beam and 8.85 on vault.

Alexia Moraes finished sixth all around in her group, including scores of 8.275 on vault, 7.675 on bars, 7.15 on beam and 8.025 on floor.

In Level 7, Elia Aird received scores of 8.675

on vault, 7.15 on bars, 8.05 on beam and 8.425 on floor. In the next age group, Nicole Rosenthal finished eighth overall, including scores of 8.85 on vault, 8.3 on bars, 7.85 on beam and 8.4 on floor. Michela Arbocco received 8.775 on vault, 8.7 on bars and 8.75 on floor. The Level 7 team finished fourth overall in the team standings.

The girls are trained by coaches Margarita Martinez, Felipe Restrepo and Joao Levy.

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Saturday, Feb. 23 • The Seminole Ridge High School Band will host the eighth annual Hawk Family Fun Day on Saturday, Feb. 23 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on school grounds. Tickets for rides and games cost $1 each, five for $4 or 15 for $10. Vendor spaces are available. For more info., contact Roy Morgan at (561) 6441090 or fundsrhband@gmail.com.

• The Wellington Green Market will take place Saturday, Feb. 23 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wellington Municipal Complex.

Call (561) 283-5856 for more info.

• The Acreage library (15801 Orange Blvd.) will host Scrapbooking Day on Saturday, Feb. 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Experienced and beginning scrappers can spend the day scrapbooking pictures and memorabilia.

Basic supplies will be available or bring your own. Call (561) 681-4100 to pre-register.

• Mounts Botanical Garden (531 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach) will host “Making a Garden Trough” on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 10 a.m. Trough containers resemble old stone and are lightweight, durable and perfect for small plants or miniature gardens.

For more info., call (561) 233-1757 or visit www.mounts.org.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host “Once Upon a Time” for all ages Saturday, Feb. 23 at 10:30 a.m. Enjoy songs, stories and crafts featuring your favorite fairy tale character s. Call (561) 7906070 for more info.

• Whole Foods Market in Wellington (2635 State Road 7) will feature “GlutenFree Cooking” on Saturday, Feb. 23 at noon.

The cost is $5 per person. Call (561) 9044000 for more info.

• Finals for Wellington Idol will take place Saturday, Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Wellington Amphitheater (12100 W. Forest Hill Blvd.). Call (561) 753-2484 or visit www. wellingtonfl.gov for more info.

Sunday, Feb. 24 • The International Polo Club Palm Beach (3667 120th Avenue South, Wellington) will continue its 10th anniversary season on Sunday, Feb. 24 with the Ylvisaker Cup. For tickets, visit www.internationalpoloclub.com or call (561) 204-5687.

• The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office will host the sixth annual Run for the Animals & Family Fun Day on Sunday, Feb. 24 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Okeeheelee Park.

Admission is free. For more info., call (561) 688-3981 or visit www.pbso.org.

• The Wellington Garden Club will kick off

Wellington Garden Week with “Gardening Makes a World of Difference” on Sunday, Feb. 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Wellington Municipal Complex (12300 W. Forest Hill Blvd.). The free event features seminars, a plant sale, a raffle of a flowering tree and an “ask the experts” booth. For more info., visit www.wellingtongardenclub.org.

• Temple B’nai Jacob (12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 6, Wellington) will hold its annual Purim Carnival Fundraiser on Sunday, Feb. 24 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Activities include a play by temple school children, boxed lunches, face painting, games and a silent auction. Call (561) 793-4347 for info.

Monday, Feb. 25 • The Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce will host a luncheon Monday, Feb. 25 at noon at Madison Green Golf Club. The topic will be “Current Real Estate Trends.” Call (561) 578- 4811 or e-mail Jessica Classby at jessica@cpbchamber.com for more info.

• The Acreage library (15801 Orange Blvd.) will host “It’s Not My Fault” for ages 3 to 5 on Monday, Feb. 25 at 3:30 p.m. What happens when you blame someone else? Listen to funny stories about kids and animals who tried to blame someone else. Call (561) 681-4100 to pre-register.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host “Legos” for age 8 and up on Monday, Feb. 25 at 4 p.m. Builders create vehicles or buildings out of Lego pieces. Call (561) 790-6070 for more info.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host “Small Claims Lawsuits & Mediation” for adults Monday, Feb. 25 at 6:30 p.m. Learn how to file a claim of $5,000 or less and present it to a judge, or avoid court and lawyer fees by choosing mediation. Call (561) 790-6070 to pre-register.

Tuesday, Feb. 26 • The Palm Beach County Commission will hold a workshop meeting Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 9:30 a.m. in the government center’s Jane M. Thompson Memorial Chambers (301 N. Olive Ave., Sixth Floor, West Palm Beach). Visit www.pbcgov.com for info.

• The Royal Palm Beach Recreation Center (100 Sweet Bay Lane) will host “Tuesday Tiny Toes,” formal dance classes to introduce ages 2 and 3 to classical ballet. Registration is open for session dates Feb. 26 to April 16, and April 23 through June 4 from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. The cost is $100 for Royal Palm Beach residents and $120 for See CALENDAR, page 45

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR CALENDAR, continued from page 44 nonresidents. Call (561) 790-5124 or visit www.royalpalmbeach.com for more info.

• The Acreage library (15801 Orange Blvd.) will host “Donna Washington: Multicultural Storyteller & Folkloris t” on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 11:15 a.m. Washington’s vocal pyrotechnics and dynamic personality will enthrall and delight audiences of all ages. Call (561) 681-4100 to pre-register.

• The Royal Palm Beach Recreation Center (100 Sweet Bay Lane) will host “Budding Ballerinas: Ballet & Tap” for ages 4 and 5, focusing on basic classical ballet and introducing tap on Tuesdays, Feb. 26 through April 16 from 3:45 to 4:30 pm. The cost is $100 for residents and $120 for nonresidents. For more info., call (561) 790-5124 or visit www. royalpalmbeach.com.

• Whole Foods Market in Wellington (2635 State Road 7) will host a Saxon Creamery Block Party with cheese maker Jerry Heimerl on Tuesday, Feb. 26 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Taste your way around the store and enjoy unique recipes and cheese pairings. Learn more about Heimerl at www. saxoncreamery.com. No registration is necessary. Call (561) 904-4000 for info.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host Teen Game Night for ages 12 to 17 on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. Call (561) 790-6070 for more info.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host the adult book discussion series “Between the Covers” on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. Sara Harris will discuss The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards. Call (561) 790-6070 for more info.

• The Acreage library (15801 Orange Blvd.) will feature Club Pokémon for ages 6 to 12 on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. Bring your DS or Pokémon cards to battle, trade and make new friends. Call (561) 681-4100 to pre-register.

• The Wellington Village Council will meet Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. at the Wellington Municipal Complex (12300 W. Forest Hill Blvd.). For info., call (561) 791-4000 or visit www.wellingtonfl.gov.

Wednesday, Feb. 27 • The Royal Palm Beach Recreation Center (100 Sweet Bay Lane) will host Wednesday Morning Yoga from Feb. 27 through April 10 at 9:15 a.m. The cost is $48 for residents and $58 for nonresidents. For more info., call (561) 790-5124 or visit www.royal palmbeach.com.

• A Royal Palm Art & Music Kickoff Mixer

will take place Wednesday, Feb. 27 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Tree’s Wings (603 Royal Palm Beach Blvd.). For more info., contact Jessica Clasby at (561) 578-4811 or jessica @cpbchamber.com.

• The Acreage library (15801 Orange Blvd.) will host “Story Time Design Show” for all ages Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 6:30 p.m. Enjoy refreshments and check out all of the amazing crafts children have worked on in story time. Call (561) 681-4100 to pre-register.

• The Royal Palm Beach library (500 Civic Center Way) will host “A Writer’s Journey: What to Know Before, During & After Writing a Book” for adults Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 6:30 p.m. Award-winning writer Carren Strock will discuss the various stages of writing and publishing a book. Call (561) 7906030 to pre-register.

Thursday, Feb. 28 • The Acreage library (15801 Orange Blvd.) will host “Sales Skills for Business Owners” on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. Discover ways to make your small business thrive with Isabel Karimi of the Center for Business and Entrepreneurship at Palm Beach State College. Call (561) 681-4100 to pre-register.

• Wellington’s Food Truck Invasion will take place Thursday, Feb. 28 from 5 to 9:30 p.m. at the Wellington Amphitheater (12100 W. Forest Hill Blvd.). Call (561) 753-2484 or visit www.wellingtonfl.gov for more info.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host “One Direction” for age 8 and up Thursday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. Love One Direction? Meet fans while making cool crafts. Call (561) 790-6070 for more info.

• The Acreage library (15801 Orange Blvd.) will host the Acreage Avengers for ages 12 to 17 on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m. Assemble and share your ideas to make this a better place for all teens. Call (561) 6814100 to pre-register.

• Whole Foods Market in Wellington (2635 State Road 7) will host “Top 10 Holistic Healthcare Tips for Dogs and Cats” on Thursday, Feb. 28 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Join veterinarian Michael Dym for an interactive discussion. Call (561) 904-4000 for info.

• The Acreage library (15801 Orange Blvd.) will host Teen Game Night for ages 12 to 17 on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. Challenge your friends to Wii and board games. Call (561) 681-4100 to pre-register.

Send calendar items to: The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414. FAX: (561) 793-6090. Email: news@gotowncrier.com.

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JOHN C. HUNTON AIR CONDITIONING & REFRIGERATION, INC.—Service & new installation FPL independent participating contractor. Lic. CAC 057272 Ins. "W e are proud supporters of the Seminole Ridge Hawks" 561-798-3225.

Family Owned & Operated since 1996. Credit Cards Accepted

BOB CAVANAGH ALLSTATE INSURANCE — Auto •Home • Life• Renters •Motorcycle •RV • Golfcart • Boat Serving the Western Communities for 24 years Call for a quote 798-3056, or visit our website. www.allstateagencies.com/ rCavanagh

WE CLEAN OFFICES & PRIVATE HOMES — Licensed & Insured. Call for an estimate and to schedule your ap artment. Discount for Central Palm Beach County Chamber members and to all new client s for first cleaning. 561-385-8243 Lic. #2012-252779

RJA PAINTING & DECORATING, INC. — Interior Exterior, Faux Finish, Residential,Commercial.Lic. #U17536 Rocky Armento, Jr. 561793-5455 561-662-7102 J&B PRESSURE CLEANING & PAINTING, INC. — Established 1984. All types of pressure cleaning, roofs, houses, driveways, patios etc. Commercial & Residential.

Interior & Exterior p ainting. Certified pressure cleaning & painting contractor. Lic. #U21552 Call Butch 309-6975 or visit our website at

MOBILE-TEC ON-SITE COMPUTER SERVICE — The computer experts that come to you! Hardware/Software setup, support & troubleshooting w w w . m o b i l e t e c . n e t .

561-248-2611 D.J. COMPUTER — Home & office, Spyware removal, websites, networks, rep airs, upgrades, virus removal, tutoring. Call Jeff 561-3331923 Cell 561-252-1186 Lic’d W ell. & Palm Beach. W e accept major credit cards.

DRIVEWAYS — Free estimates A & M ASPHALT SEAL COATING commercial and residential. Patching potholes, striping, repair existing asphalt & save money all work guaranteed. Lic.& Ins. 100045062 561-667-7716

THE MASTER HANDYMAN — All Types of Home Rep airs & Improvements. No job too big or small done right the first time every time 40 yrs of satisfied customers. See me on Angies List. Tom (561) 801-2010 or (954) 444-3178 Serving Palm Beach and Broward Counties.

BILLY’S HOME REPAIRS INC. REMODEL & REPAIRS — Interior Trim, crown molding, rottenwood rep air, door installation, minor drywall,kitchens/cabinets / countertops, wood flooring. Bonded and Insured U#19699. Call 7919900 or 628-9215 HANDYMAN AND CLEANING SERVICES — Caza Services for all your handyman and cleaning needs. 18 years experience. No job is too small. Call us today. Insured 561-802-8300 or 754-242-3459

ANMAR CO .—James’ All Around Handyman Service. Excellent craftman Old time values. Once you’ve had me! You’ll have me back!

Lic. Ins. Certified Residential Contractor CRC 1327426 561-248-8528

HOUSECLEANING — 20 yrs experience. Excellent local references.

Shopping available. 561-572-1782 HOUSECLEANING — affordable cleaning services, Royal Palm Maids. 561-666-7738 “For all your cleaning needs”

HURRICANE SHUTTERS P&M CONTRACT ORS — ACCORDION SHUTTERS Gutters, screen enclosures, siding, sof fits, aluminum roofs, Serving the W estern Communities. Since 1985. U-17189 561791-9777

www.jbpressurecleaningandpainting.com

JOHN PERGOLIZZI P AINTING INC. — Interior/Exterior - Repaint specialist, pressure cleaning, popcorn ceiling, drywall rep air & roof painting. Family owned/owner operator. Free Est. 798-4964 Lic. #U18473 COLORS BY CORO, INC. — Int./ Ext. residential p ainting, over 20 yrs exp. Small Jobs welcome. Free est. Ins. 561-383-8666. Owner/Operated. Lic.# U20627 Ins. Wellington Resident JEREMY JAMES PLUMBING — Licensed plumber , legitimate estimate. Water heaters, new construction. CFC1426242. Bonded Insured. CFC1426242. 561-6016458

J&B PRESSURE CLEANING & PAINTING, INC. — Established 1984. All types of pressure cleaning, roofs, houses, driveways, patios etc. Commercial & Residential.

Interior & Exterior p ainting.

Certified pressure cleaning & painting contractor. Lic. #U21552 Call Butch at 309-6975 or visit us at www.jbpressurecleaningandpainting.com

JOHN’S SCREEN REPAIR SERVICE — Pool & patio rescreening.

Stay tight,wrinkle-free,guaranteed!

CRC1329708 call us 798-3132. www.poolscreenrepair.com

ACCORDION SHUTTERS — Gutters, screen enclosures, siding, soffits, aluminum roofs, Serving the Western Communities. Since 1985.

U-17189 561-791-9777

AQUATIC SPRINKLER, LLC — Complete repair of all types of systems. Owner Operated. Michael 561-964-6004Lic.#U17871 Bonded & Ins. Serving the Western Communities Since 1990

EXPERIENCED TAX PREPARER With expertise with individuals and small businesses - Hack Tax and Accounting Services 561-214-6171

SPECIALIZING IN BATHROOM REMODELING — Free estimates serving South Florida since 1980.

Quality you expect, service you deserve. Lic. bonded & Ins. U21006 561-662-9258

CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS PLACE YOUR BUSINESS DIRECT ORY LISTING HERE CALL 7933576

SECURITY — American owned local security company in business 30 plus years. Protection by officers drug tested. 40 hour course. Licensed & Insured. 561-848-2600

TEACHERS/TUTORS - P/T SAT/ACT/FCAT All Subjects PreK - Adult Flexible Hrs. Great Pay. P.B. County Area.

Experience required.

Apply: ClubZ.com WANTED QUALIFIED INDIVIDUAL FOR REGIONAL AND LOCAL SPONSORSHIP SALES for an event production company, specializing in live show/concerts and sporting events. Serious inquiries only.

Experience required.

Commission and incentive base.

Christy@extremeeventsunlimited.com 615-491-8388

TREES TRIMMED AND REMOVED — 561-798-0412 D.M. YOUNG TREE SERVICE. Family Owned & Operated Lic. & Insured 1992-12121 Visit our website at dmyoungtreeservice.com

CLUB Z! In-Home TUTORING All Subject s: PreK - Adult 561•333•1980 CLUBZ.COM America's Largest In-Home Tutoring Co.

PAPERHANGING BY DEBI — Professional Installation,Removal.

Repair of Paper. Neat, Clean & Reliable. Quality work with a woman's touch. 30 years experience. No Job too big or too small. Lic. & Ins. References available. 561-795-5263

CAZA SERVICES — Taking care of your home is our family business.

Remodeling, Handyman Service, Cleaning Service. 561-228-1084 Lic. Ins.

MINOR ROOF REPAIRS DON HARTMANN ROOFING — Roof painting, Carpentry. Lic. #U13677 967-5580 ROBERT G. HARTMANN ROOFING — Specializing in repairs. Free estimates, Bonded,insured. Lic. #CCC 058317 Ph: 561-790-0763.

ROOFING REPAIRS REROOFING ALL TYPES — Pinewood Construction, Inc. Honest and reliable.

Serving Palm Beach County for over 20 years. Call Mike 561-3090134 Lic. Ins. Bonded. CGC023773 RC-0067207

HUNTINGTON LEARNING CENTER — in Wellington needs EXAM PREP COORDINATOR Bachelors Degree- Demonstrate Solid Performance on SAT and ACT (either verbal or math sections) Available to work evenings and Saturdays. Also needed: EXAM PREP TUTORS Now Hiring SAT/ACT Preparation Tutors. Must have a 4 year degree preferably in Mathmetics or English. Be available to tutor on Saturdays . Please e-mail resume tomarlenegiraud@hlcwellington.com PART-TIME LEGAL SECRETARY — for legal/accounting office. Fax resume 333-2680.

TEACHING ASSISTANT 1 - 5 P.M. MONDAY- FRIDAY — Experienced preferred 561-793-5860

FURNISHED HOUSE FOR RENT/ SHORT OR LONG TERM — situated in a cul-de-sac and 5 minutes away from Spruce Meadows, this 2000 sf. 2 story newer house in Shawnessy has hardwood floor throughout and 2.5 bathrooms.

Leather furniture, 48” TV and a Piano in main floor. Master bedroom has Jacuzzi. 2 large size bedrooms and bonus room. Wireless Internet, double attached garage, fenced backyard with BBQ. Weekly housekeeping, linen service and lawn cutting plus all utilities included. For more details call (403) 808-7254 OR (403) 700-2065

HIDDEN CREEK AT BINKS FOREST — COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE this Saturday, Feb. 23rd , 8:00 a.m. - Noon. West on Southern Blvd., lef t at Binks Forest, 1st Right into Hidden Creek.

SANTA FE PIER 1 — Solid wood furniture. Armoire $200, Night Stands $75 each, Bench with drawers $100, Corner TV Stand $100 email jmlevalley@yahoo.com or call Karen 586-354-5470

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