WELLINGTON HONORS JUSTIN ARNONE SEE STORY, PAGE 3
GET FIT WITH ORANGETHEORY IN RPB SEE STORY, PAGE 7
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
INSIDE County Continues Push To Open Regional Vaccination Sites
Volume 42, Number 5 February 26 - March 11, 2021
Serving Palms West Since 1980
LUNCH FOR HOSPITAL WORKERS
Palm Beach County officials were joined by representatives from the Health Care District of Palm Beach County on Tuesday, Feb. 23 to announce the opening of a new COVID-19 vaccination site at the Burns Road Community Center in Palm Beach Gardens. Page 3
Kickback Neighborhood Tavern Hosts Grand Opening Celebration
The new Kickback Neighborhood Tavern, formerly known as Backstreets, held a grand opening celebration from Thursday, Feb. 18 through Sunday, Feb. 21. Events on Saturday, Feb. 20 included a Wellington Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting and much more. Page 14
Barky Pines Hosts Puppy Love 5K Run/Walk At Commons Park In RPB
Barky Pines Animal Rescue & Sanctuary held its second annual Puppy Love 5K Run/Walk event on Saturday, Feb. 13 at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park. A chip-timed race was followed by a “fun run” or walk with pets. Page 17
SRHS Flag Football Squad In Pursuit Of Another State Title
At Seminole Ridge High School, excellence is the expectation every year for its girls flag football program. There are many good reasons why those annual expectations are so high. Seminole Ridge’s most decorated and successful athletic program is its girls flag football team. The team has won five state titles (2010, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016) and been the state runner-up on three other occasions (2014, 2017 and 2018). Page 21 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 18 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 SPORTS................................. 21 SCHOOLS.............................. 23 PEOPLE..........................24 - 25 BUSINESS............................. 27 COLUMNS............................. 28 CLASSIFIEDS................ 29 - 30 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
Wellington Landings Middle School students Jasper and Arthur Hu-Manning worked with the Wellington Community Foundation to serve approximately 600 lunches to all the employees at Wellington Regional Medical Center on Friday, Feb. 12. As part of their bar mitzvah, which was held virtually in November, the twins raised more than $5,000 to pay for the project. Shown above with just some of the meals are Jim Sackett, Samantha Rosen, Arthur Hu-Manning, Maggie Zeller, Jasper HuManning, Tom Wenham, Pam Tahan, Mickey Smith and Barry Manning. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 18 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
ITID Board Reviews Equestrian Park Plans With Goal Of A Covered Arena
By Louis Hillary Park Town-Crier Staff Report To cover or not to cover the Nicole Hornstein Equestrian Park arena is not the question, but merely how to do it and with how many amenities. That was a key topic of discussion at the Wednesday, Feb. 17 meeting of the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors. “The one thing everyone wants is a covered arena,” ITID President Betty Argue said. “And they want it sooner, rather than later.” The comments came as the supervisors declined to approve a conceptual site plan offered by ITID Executive Director Burgess Hanson and district staff, and instead added further discussion of
the plan to its March 10 workshop agenda. Other supervisors agreed that a covered arena at the park, located on Hamlin Blvd. between Grapeview Blvd. and Hall Blvd., would be a “good selling point” for the community. However, covering the main arena will not come cheap, ITID Assistant Executive Director Robert Robinson told the board. His loose estimate is between $700,000 and $800,000 for the covered arena structure alone. That estimate does not include lighting or improved footing in the arena, loudspeakers, bleachers or upgraded drainage. Firm cost estimates are hard to come by, as See HORSE PARK, page 8
Road Paving Key Issue In Lox EQUESTRIAN TRIATHLON Groves Seat 1 Council Race
By Louis Hillary Park Town-Crier Staff Report Incumbent Councilwoman Phillis Maniglia is being challenged by former Councilman Dave DeMarois for Seat 1 on the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council in the Tuesday, March 9 municipal election. Both have a vision for the road ahead in Loxahatchee Groves, but in DeMarois’ vision, all 30 miles of the town roads are eventually paved. Maniglia sees a different future that retains more of the town’s rural flavor. “I’m very worried about the town,” said Maniglia, who is running for her second three-year term after unseating the late Ron Jarriel in 2018. “I’m concerned that [an aggressive pro-paving] board will bankrupt the town or raise taxes so high that many current residents can no longer afford to live here.” DeMarois said that a phased-in
paving plan is financially feasible through the use of general obligation bonds and 65 to 70 percent of the annual Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District (LGWCD) assessment over a 10-year period. Under DeMarois’ plan, the letter roads, Folsom Road, G Square Road, North Road, Collecting Canal Road and Sixth Court North would be paved. DeMarois proposes a townwide, legally binding referendum by mail. He said he believes 75 to 80 percent of voters would support an extensive paving plan. “Taxpayers are fed up,” he said. “They’ve lost faith in government to do what is necessary to improve and maintain the roads.” Maniglia agreed that the question of how to deal with rough, dusty and often narrow roads is a perennial issue in the community, but said it is being complicated by pro-paving politics. “We have
roads that desperately need to be repaired, but that has been blocked by council members who want all the roads paved,” she said. Maniglia said that she is not against all paving projects. “I’m in real estate,” said Maniglia, who relocated from a small town in New York State to Florida in 1989. “When I show people around our community and there’s dust everywhere, and we hit some huge bump. You think that’s good for me? Of course, it’s not. I want to see better, safer roads as much as anyone. It’s part of my livelihood.” In fact, Maniglia said she was instrumental in making OGEM road repairs a priority in the 2021 budget. However, the extent of major road improvements should be left up to property owners on each individual road, she said, and not come at the expense of the area’s See LOX SEAT 3, page 4
PBSO Commanders Address Public Concerns At Forum
By M. Dennis Taylor Town-Crier Staff Report The Palm Beach County Criminal Justice Commission hosted a forum on policing at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center on Wednesday, Feb. 24, both live and online. It was the sixth of nine such presentations around the county. Hosts Barbara Cheives and Ted White introduced the four Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office representatives and moderated questions from attendees present and from online viewers. Speakers included Capt. Rolando Silva, Capt. Ulrich Naujoks, Capt. Craig Turner and Major Eric Coleman. The three PBSO district commanders and their regional bureau commander fielded questions ranging from nationwide issues to very specific questions of personal situations. The forum focused on the western communities with Silva, commander of PBSO District 8 covering the Village of Wellington, speaking first. Silva explained,
as did all the commanders, that crime in the western communities is generally low, with a high clearance rate. “One of the biggest problems we have is traffic violations. Obviously, any crime is one crime too many,” he said, showing data that all crimes in Wellington have decreased by 54 percent over the past four years. Silva said that during 2020, due to the pandemic, they were only stopping vehicles for the most egregious violations, as was policy in many departments, and traffic fatalities nationwide increased by 18 percent. The PBSO has returned to being more proactive in enforcement, and people have slowed down, and accidents are down. Naujoks, commander for District 9, is in charge of the team serving the Village of Royal Palm Beach. “The number one public safety concern in Royal Palm Beach is traffic issues,” explained Naujoks
to a questioner. “We place a lot of emphasis on education, rather than just enforcement.” He said that stealing from unlocked cars is the most prevalent form of vehicle-related crime in the village. He addressed the topic of homelessness, noting an area shelter providing assistance. “Homelessness is not a crime. You can’t arrest your way out of it,” said Naujoks, explaining that they try to get homeless people into services to help them. Turner is the commander for districts 15, 17 and 18, a large area covering The Acreage, Loxahatchee Groves and Westlake. Turner said that while crime is very low in the new City of Westlake and the Town of Loxahatchee Groves, there had been a spike in vehicle burglaries last year in Loxahatchee and The Acreage. He attributed this to juvenile group homes. “These are juveniles who have See FORUM, page 8
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County’s World Championship Equestrian Triathlon was held Monday, Feb. 15 at EyeCandyLand in Wellington. World-renowned athletes delivered thrilling equestrian competition and raised more than $130,000 to benefit the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club of Wellington. Shown above are Jaene Miranda, Nacho Figueras and Olexa Celine. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Council Retroactively Approves Auto Repair Shop After Neighbors Withdraw Complaints
By M. Dennis Taylor Town-Crier Staff Report On Thursday, Feb. 18, the Royal Palm Beach Village Council took up the matter of the fully operational ProTek Automotive, a vehicle repair and performance shop on Business Parkway. The business needed a special exception request from the village before opening and was seeking to obtain the proper licensing, retroactively. The matter appeared before the Royal Palm Beach Planning & Zoning Commission in January and was recommended for denial amid an array of complaints about the business from its neighbors. However, during the ensuing three weeks, proprietor Amar Patel tuned-up his interpersonal skills and took the opportunity to meet with all his surrounding neighbors, many who had complained.
This time around, they showed up to recommend approval of the request. Patel stressed to the council that his business doesn’t use nitrous oxide fuel, a danger many speakers had worried about at the previous meeting. He also said that the noise and speeding are not from his business, and that all the cars they test are licensed for roadway use and only use the surrounding parking lot and Business Parkway to and from State Road 7 for test drives. “I spoke with all the neighbors and addressed their concerns,” he told the council. Planning & Zoning Director Bradford O’Brien reaffirmed that the applicant meets the criteria for the special exemption use within the industrial park area. Several speakers remarked that See PROTEK, page 4
Wellington’s New Tennis Director Passionate About Sport He Loves
By M. Dennis Taylor Town-Crier Staff Report After more than four decades in the tennis and racquet sports industry, Chuck Gill has a new job near his home in Wellington as the director of the Wellington Tennis Center, located at 3100 Lyons Road. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, where he developed his love for tennis on high school courts and in public parks, Gill earned a college tennis scholarship and studied business administration. “Instead of continuing on with an MBA, like my father wanted,
I thought it sounded much more fun to go to work for a company that managed tennis resorts,” Gill laughed. He said that his love for tennis went nicely with the business administration degree, and he went to work for resorts in the Caribbean. By 23, he had migrated to Vermont to manage operations at Topnotch at Stowe. A later move to Florida for a stint at the Boca Resort & Club was followed by buying a home in Wellington some 25 years ago. Topnotch at Stowe and the Boca Resort were both named to Tennis
magazine’s list of U.S. top 10 tennis resorts. “My wife Amanda and I raised both our sons in Wellington. I am a Wellingtonite, and I worked as the director of sports at the Club at Ibis for 24 years,” Gill said. “The club is a member equity club that recently received Emerald Elite status from Boardroom magazine and Platinum status from the Club Leaders Forum.” During his tenure at Ibis, the club was named Tennis Industry magazine’s “Private Facility of the Year.” Gill has long been a United
States Professional Tennis Association Elite Professional and has been a past board member of that association of teaching professionals. He was honored to be the president of USPTA in 2017 and 2018. He also serves on the United States Tennis Association Board of Directors and is the chair of the Facility Management Project Team. “We advise tennis facilities on efficient management operation,” said Gill, who often speaks at industry meetings regarding programming, budgeting and member service. As a lifelong tennis promoter, See GILL, page 4
Chuck Gill, the new director of the Wellington Tennis Center, brings a lifetime of experience to the job.