‘MINION’ AT BINKS FOREST ELEMENTARY SEE PHOTOS, PAGE 5
BIG PLANS FOR RETURN OF WESTFEST SEE STORY, PAGE 7
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
Volume 35, Number 8 February 21 - February 27, 2014
Serving Palms West Since 1980
Acreage Town Hall Attendees Oppose Minto West Project
INSIDE
ITID Reviews Conditions Of Phased Development At Northlake/Coconut
Joe Lelonek of Atlantic Land Investments gave an update on the planned commercial center at the southwest corner of Northlake and Coconut boulevards at the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday, Feb. 12, explaining that recent changes submitted to Palm Beach County were only to create development phases for a project that had already been approved. Page 3
Royal Palm Beach Mayoral Forum — Moderator Jim Sackett with candidates Laurel Bennett, Mayor Matty Mattioli, Felicia Matula and Martha Webster. PHOTO BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER
Sunshine League Opens Season In Royal Palm
The Sunshine League kicked off its season Friday, Feb. 14 at the Bob Marcello Baseball Complex in Royal Palm Beach. The Sunshine League provides opportunities for players of all abilities to enjoy a fun game of baseball, where everyone gets to hit, get on base and come home. Page 9
Episcopal Church Women Host Bazaar
St. David’s in the Pines Episcopal Church in Wellington held its annual Episcopal Church Women Bazaar on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 15 and 16. There was a huge rummage sale with homemade crafts, jewelry and a bake sale, as well as homemade chili made by group members. Page 9
OPINION
Concerns Raised Over ‘Stand Your Ground’ Law
A series of high-profile shooting cases has turned the eyes of the nation to Florida, leading many to call for a re-examination of the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law. The law, meant to protect victims who shoot their attackers, has been at the center of several controversial cases. While the law has merits, it has too many loopholes and has too often been wrongly applied. Page 4
DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS................................. 3 - 9 OPINION.................................. 4 CRIME NEWS.......................... 6 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 PEOPLE................................. 13 SCHOOLS.......................14 - 15 COLUMNS...................... 16, 25 BUSINESS......................26 - 27 SPORTS..........................31 - 33 CALENDAR............................ 34 CLASSIFIEDS................ 35 - 39 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
Royal Palm Beach’s Mayoral Candidates Face Off At Forum
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Residents of Royal Palm Beach had the opportunity Tuesday to hear from all four mayoral candidates in a forum hosted by the Town-Crier and moderated by retired WPTV NewsChannel 5 anchor Jim Sackett. Two-term incumbent Mayor Matty Mattioli will face three challengers on Tuesday, March 11 — businesswoman Laurel Bennett, community activist and Royal Palm Beach Planning & Zoning Commission Alternate Felicia Matula and former Royal Palm Beach Councilwoman Martha Webster. Questions in the first half of the two-hour forum were asked by Town-Crier staff members. During the second half, Sackett asked questions submitted by the audience. About 100 residents attended the televised forum held at the Village Meeting Hall. Bennett described herself as a fresh voice in the race. “I’m an entrepreneur, I’m a businesswoman,” she said. “I’ve been called a political novice. I’m all of the above except a political novice. I have been behind the scenes working for the Central Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce. I have been fighting for you all the time.” Bennett noted that she is a
mother and the wife of a Vietnamera veteran with Agent Orange symptoms. She has a master’s degree in healthcare and several patents. “What I stand for is fiscal, moral accountability and responsibility,” she said. In her local work, she said she has fought for the State Road 7 extension to Northlake Blvd. and for a revision of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maps that could raise homeowners’ flood insurance rates. “I’m here to fix problems,” Bennett said. Asked about her top goals over the next two years, Bennett said she wanted to bring more fiscal responsibility and accountability. She also wants to see the new Royal Palm Beach Commons Park make some money and ensure that State Road 7 goes all the way through to Northlake Blvd. Bennett also said establishing free Wi-Fi service would bring the village 4 percent additional income. Mattioli, who served on the council for 16 years before being elected mayor in 2010, said he decided to run for one final term to wrap up some unfinished business, including the completion of the Aldi regional distribution center — a major initiative of his that came about while he was mayor. “There are things I have worked
on for many years that will soon come to fruition,” he said. Mattioli noted that he has worked for two decades to keep village taxes low. Since his first campaign in 1994, Mattioli said that he has sworn not to raise the tax rate — a promise that he noted has been kept for two decades. “As long as I am mayor, that will continue to be,” he said, adding that he had talked to the finance director and village manager, who assured him that tax rate increases would not be needed in the foreseeable future. Mattioli pointed out that the $21 million Royal Palm Beach Commons Park, constructed and opened during his time in office, was not paid for with money from taxpayers and is a beautiful addition to the community. He also supports adding new amenities there, such as a planned dog park. As for other initiatives, Mattioli said that he has been fighting for decades to bring the State Road 7 extension all the way to Northlake Blvd., and also supports Palm Beach County’s Office of the Inspector General in its efforts to bring honest, open government to Palm Beach County and all of its municipalities. Matula has been a village resident for 15 years, has children in See RPB FORUM, page 19
By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Residents of The Acreage packed the Seminole Ridge High School auditorium Wednesday night to hear a presentation on the planned Minto West development, with a vote showing a large majority of residents opposed to the project. A total of 650 residents voted at the Acreage Landowners’ Association’s town hall meeting. When votes were tallied, a total of 583 residents opposed and 67 were in favor of the plan. The ALA accepted votes from members and non-member residents with proof of identification. “Minto is neither our friend nor our benefactor,” resident Jean Edwards said during public comment. “It is a profit-driven corporation out for their own interest and to line their own pockets. They have implied on more than one occasion that The Acreage has no heart, no identity. We have charac-
ter, heart and soul. We have a way of life we stand to lose if we allow this development to happen.” The meeting included a presentation by former Indian Trail Improvement District Supervisor Mike Erickson. Although no Minto representatives were in attendance, County Administrator Bob Weisman was on hand to answer questions and hear resident concerns. The Minto West property was previously owned by CalleryJudge Grove, Erickson explained. The owners of Callery-Judge originally requested to build 10,000 homes on the site — a plan rejected by Palm Beach County. Callery-Judge’s owners later had the site designated an “Agricultural Enclave,” which under Florida law gave the property approval for 2,996 homes. The site was sold to Minto with that approval. “There are 2,996 homes and 235,000 square feet of commercial See TOWN HALL, page 19
RADISH FESTIVAL
The Wellington Green Market held its inaugural Radish Festival on Saturday, Feb. 15. Vendors highlighted the tasty vegetable in their food, and bunches of radishes were available to take home and try for yourself. Shown here are Wellington Green Market founder Peter Robinson and Wellington Chamber of Commerce President Victor Connor with radishes. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Senior Issues Take Center Stage For Wellington Postpones Plan To Wellington Hopefuls Remove Aero Club Drive Trees
By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report About 22 Washingtonian palm trees that line Aero Club Drive will remain in place until the Wellington Village Council can weigh in on whether they should be cut down, village officials said this week. The palm trees, which stand as tall as 70 feet and cost the village about $40,000 a year to maintain, were slated to be cut down earlier this week. However, complaints from residents caused several council members to ask that the matter be discussed. The palm trees have lined Aero Club Drive for many years but have interfered with Florida Power & Light’s power lines, as well as moving water during heavy rainfall, Village Manager Paul Schofield told council members at a meeting Tuesday, Feb. 11.
“We’ve been talking for a number of years about the [palm trees],” he said. “There have been some issues. They were installed in the swale line. In very heavy rainfall, we can’t get water down those swales. It goes out in the street.” Schofield told council members that as part of drainage plans to prevent flooding, staff planned to remove the existing trees, rebuild the swale and replace the trees, although not with Washingtonian palms. “This is part of a pilot program based on the needs we identified after Tropical Storm Isaac,” he said. “We may bring it back to you and see if the council wants to do more.” Schofield said removing the palm trees would also keep them from affecting the nearby power lines, and FP&L would remove them at no cost.
“When we went to them and told them we were thinking of removing those trees, in the interest of preserving their power lines, they said they want to take the trees down where the power lines are,” he said. “Since they are out there, they will take them all down. They will do that at no cost to us to protect their power lines.” However, several council members wanted more discussion of the tree removal. “I raised the matter at the last council meeting because I was concerned this was being done at a staff level,” Vice Mayor Howard Coates said. Typically, landscaping decisions are handled by village staff, but Coates said this week that he had asked Schofield to halt the removal of the trees to allow the council to consider the issue. “I see this as See TREES, page 3
By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Three of the four candidates for Wellington Village Council seats weighed in Wednesday on hot topics in the village at the Wellington Seniors Club candidates forum, held at the Wellington Community Center. Top topics included plans for the Wellington Community Center reconstruction and the possibility of senior housing. Seat 3 contender Matt Kurit was not in attendance due to scheduling problems. Each candidate was given time to speak to club members, followed by several minutes for questioning. Councilwoman Anne Gerwig, who faces challenger Sharon Lascola for Seat 2, noted that she is a 35-year resident of Palm Beach County and a 24-year resident of Wellington. She said that during her term on the council, she has voted and fought for several programs to
benefit seniors. This includes the Senior Transportation and Rides (STAR) program, which provides taxi vouchers to seniors. “I think it’s a great program,” Gerwig said. “There was some discussion on the council that if seniors didn’t use their rides up, they shouldn’t get them the next time. I argued against that. If someone requests the [vouchers] and doesn’t use them, that’s fine. It’s a security for them. You don’t have to use them, and you should be able to reload them the next month. It doesn’t cost us if you don’t use them.” Gerwig also said she has pushed to rebuild the community center, noting that tying the relocation of the tennis center to the project has slowed it down. “Every time we have voted on the issue, I have voted to take this building down and rebuild an accessible building,” she said. “I said we need to ask our seniors, who are See SENIORS CLUB, page 7
Garden Of Hope Founder Updates ITID On Progress
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Acreage resident Tracy Newfield told the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors on Feb.12 that she is making great strides with the Garden of Hope project to be located in the Acreage Community Park expansion area. The project began three years ago at a Relay for Life event. “Actually, it began with my daughter who had cancer, and I started going to the Relay for Life,” Newfield recalled. “If you have ever been to one, they are very emotional. The community has such great support, and it’s a great fundraising event that I hope more people participate in.”
Her daughter, Jessica, now 20, was diagnosed with cancer at age 11. “Every year we get more and more donations, and donations stay in our community,” she said. “They helped my daughter go to college. They help residents get rides to and from their treatments. It’s a great charity to support.” Newfield came up with the idea for the garden after one of the relay events. “I sat down and drew out this idea of ribbons and bricks,” she said. “I’ve been to many hospitals with my daughter and seen similar things, and I thought it would be a great idea for this community.” The garden design included
paver bricks that can be purchased to inscribe at $50 each with three lines of 20 characters. “I had to raise the price on them because I had to guarantee my husband that we will have funding, and I promised you all that it’s not going to cost you anything,” Newfield said. “It’s all going to be done by donations.” People can also purchase a tree or a bench with an inscribed plaque. “I’m getting a lot of requests for benches and trees, and I’m hoping that I can convince you to allow me to do trees and benches throughout the park, saving you guys money,” she said. Newfield added that the Acreage Landowners’Association has wel-
comed the Garden of Hope project and allowed her to sit in their tent at the Acreage Community Jam to collect donations through popcorn sales. “If I hear of somebody needing help, I bring it to the Acreage Landowners’ Association, and they decide if it is a good cause and a helpful cause,” she said. “Last year they raised $500, and this year they raised $1,000. We were able to give that directly to the American Cancer Society to help one of our families or friends in The Acreage.” They go beyond helping only cancer patients and last year were able to assist an Acreage resident See GARDEN, page 4
Tracy Newfield with her daughter Jessica.