TRIBUTE MUSIC & FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL SEE STORY, PAGE 3
WELLINGTON ANNEXES SR 7 PARCEL SEE STORY, PAGE 7
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TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
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INSIDE
Animal Care & Control Director Speaks At Lox Council Meeting
Volume 37, Number 6 February 5 - February 11, 2016
Serving Palms West Since 1980
ART FEST AT THE AMPHITHEATER
Palm Beach County Animal Care & Control Director Dianne Sauve answered questions about animal safety at the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council meeting Tuesday, responding to recent arrests in the town over illegal slaughterhouses. Page 3
Celebrity Bartending Event At The Grille Benefits Cancer Society
The Grille Fashion Cuisine hosted a “Shine Bright Like A Diamond” fundraiser to benefit the American Cancer Society on Thursday, Jan. 28, sponsored by Veuve Clicquot and Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Local celebrities took turns behind the bar as bartenders, where $3,017 was raised. Page 5
2016 South Florida Fair Closes Out Two-Week Run At Fairgrounds
The South Florida Fair finished its 2016 run at the South Florida Fairgrounds on Sunday, Jan. 31. This year’s fair theme was “Discover the Palm Beaches.” It featured great entertainment, fair food, parades, exhibits and more. Page 7
OPINION
Senior Housing Issues Deserve Action, Not Just More Talk
Florida is aging, and as it gets older, there is a need for affordable, quality housing to meet the needs of our senior population. Fortunately, both Wellington and Royal Palm Beach are exploring ways to meet this need. As residents who have lived for decades in the western communities look toward the next phase of their lives, it behooves us all to provide the necessary housing options nearby, so they will not have to spend their golden years elsewhere. 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 - 38 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
The Wellington Art Society held its 10th annual juried fine art and craft show, Art Fest on the Green, on Saturday, Jan. 30 and Sunday, Jan. 31 at the Wellington Amphitheater. The event featured 50 artists, covering a variety of specialties. Shown above, watercolor artist John Bowen was awarded best of show. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
ITID Plans To Add Cut-Through Prevention Along Persimmon
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Indian Trail Improvement District supervisors approved a study of Persimmon Blvd. last week to reduce cut-through traffic on secondary roads in nearby neighborhoods. The board also discussed features that could be added to ITID’s traffic-calming plan. At the board’s Jan. 27 meeting, Joe Capra of Captec Engineering reviewed some of the trafficcalming options he had discussed with the supervisors before, as well as some new traffic information based on planned developments west of The Acreage, with a specific focus on how they would affect Persimmon Blvd., which is an ITID road. “You might want to be at least prepared for some of these things,
and maybe some of the reasons for the more concrete calming solutions, which I think is what we really want to talk about,” Capra said. “Pretty much what we’re talking about is Persimmon.” He said that Captec looked at the Westlake (Minto West), GL Homes and Avenir projects, and the roads that their developers say they will impact, especially Persimmon, which he noted will be impacted by all three developments. “They show trips based on their traffic reports,” Capra said, explaining that there were different traffic count projections between 140th Avenue and Avocado, Avocado and Coconut, and Coconut and Royal Palm Beach Blvd. “If you add all the trips that are there today, plus all the trips from
these proposed developments, over the next 20 years, you’re going to see a 177 percent increase in traffic on that road,” he said. “That’s basically what they’re telling you. We’ve known there’s going to be an increase in traffic.” Capra said that he had spoken with county staff about working together to minimize the impacts on ITID roads. “They are willing to talk to us,” he said. “We point this information out to them, but we also say, ‘Where’s the money going to come from?’ That’s the sticking point because, as all of you know, they are out of money. As they will tell you, they are looking at a sales tax for traffic improvements.” Capra showed an illustration that reflected accidents that have See PERSIMMON, page 19
Lox Groves Council Orders Cost Estimate For Paving Town Roads
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council decided Tuesday to stop a repainting project on speed bumps that is underway until the town can get control of degraded roads it inherited recently from the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District. The council also authorized a study to see what the cost would be to pave all town roads. The discussion came up when Town Manager Bill Underwood reported on the condition of roads and culverts, as well as a speed bump repainting project that council members thought was too costly, especially under the circumstance that the paving might have to be redone. Underwood said that his staff is implementing its newly adopted culvert replacement policy as it finds those that need it. “There are three or four culverts on B Road that do need to be replaced, and we did have an issue
on C Road last week,” he said, explaining that a culvert where a washout had occurred during the recent rains was right next to a power pole, and the road had to be barricaded for several days while the road was repaired. Councilman Tom Goltzené asked why the LGWCD had not replaced the C Road culvert before turning jurisdiction over to the town. “I have been told they have money set aside, and they did not do culverts when they initially [paved] it because they were trying to save some money,” Goltzené said, adding that he understood the LGWCD still has responsibility for maintaining the road under documents it has filed with the state. “I’m wondering why they borrowed money that they are charging people for and yet they don’t stand up to their responsibility to the town.” Goltzené added that he thought the LGWCD had been “penny-
wise and pound foolish” for not replacing the culvert before the road had been paved. “When they had the surface off, why didn’t they do it?” he asked. “The answer is they would come back and do it later, except that later is now, and they think we’ll pay for it. I have a problem with that. It’s a consistent problem we have. Doesn’t it drive you crazy to get your tax bill and drive around and see what pieces of crap the roads are?” Goltzené added that A Road has deteriorated to the point where there is almost no road remaining on the north end, and there are similar issues with F Road. “You can see the road is caving in, and as you go north, it keeps caving in until there is almost no road left,” he said. “Then you look at the canals; they’re caving in. We’re going to solve the problem, but we didn’t create this problem. I wonder why we are running See PAVING, page 7
Real Estate Firm Buys Wanderers Executive Course
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The 48-acre Wanderers Club executive golf course has been purchased by a company affiliated with Ward Real Estate, according to Wellington officials and documents filed with the Palm Beach County Clerk. The purchase took place late last year. According to a warranty deed filed with the county, W&W Equestrian Club LLC purchased the property on Oct. 30, 2015. The documents were recorded on Nov. 20. The company paid $1 million for the land, according to the deed document. The address listed for the buyer is the same as Ward Real Estate, and village officials did confirm that Ward Real Estate’s Jim Ward is the new owner. The company has developed several commercial properties, including the new Village Green Center on State Road 7, which features a Trader Joe’s supermarket. Not in use for several years, the Wanderers Club executive course land was previously owned by a company controlled by polo mogul John Goodman. The main Wanderers Club par72 golf course and the associated private country club with restaurants and other amenities was purchased last month by Mark Bellissimo and Wellington Equestrian Partners. The Wellington Village Council looked into purchasing the executive course in 2014, but the idea was dropped after the previous owners refused the council’s offer of $700,000. Goodman’s company was asking $1 million. Village Manager Paul Schofield said that there are a number of options Ward can pursue in developing the property without pursuing a land use change.
“It’s commercial recreation; there are some other things that they can do with it,” Schofield told the Town-Crier on Tuesday. “Principally golf course, they would have to go through and get a master plan amendment to the Landings at Wellington PUD to do anything like that. I know that we met with them and talked with them. They looked at some of the planning we had done back in 2010 or 2011 when we were looking at maybe acquiring it and doing a public park with an equestrian element. I don’t think they have made any decisions about it. I think they got it at a good price.” Schofield said that the recent purchase of the main golf course and country club by another entity makes the transaction more interesting. “Is it something that they will talk to mutually?” he said. “I suspect that they haven’t talked about it, but I’m willing to bet at some point that you will see complementary uses.” Either way, the two owners of what previously was a single operation will have to work together in some fashion, Schofield said. “You’ve got an executive golf course sold to one person and the other course sold to another person; they’ve always worked together in the past,” he said. “In some cases, because they both use the same drainage system, they are codependent, so it would be a good idea for them to talk to each other.” In 2014, the council had discussed making the executive course a passive park. In a 3-2 vote, council members rejected a motion by Vice Mayor John Greene to make the seller an offer of $850,000 to purchase the executive course. Councilman Matt Willhite supported that motion, See WARD, page 4
REUNION CELEBRATES OLD LOX SCHOOLHOUSE
Former students of the Loxahatchee Groves Schoolhouse got together Tuesday, Jan. 26 for a reunion. The event was held at Yesteryear Village at the South Florida Fairgrounds, the current home of the Loxahatchee Groves Schoolhouse. Originally located on Tangerine Drive, the building was in operation as a school from the 1930s to the 1960s. Shown here are Annis Manning and John Jarriel at the reunion. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 21 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Fair Queen Aims To Shatter ‘Pageant Girl’ Stereotype
Palm Beach Central High School senior Shelby Bomford is crowned Miss South Florida Fair.
By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report “Pageant Girl” Shelby Bomford isn’t just a pretty face. She is a 17-year-old who will graduate from Palm Beach Central High School in May and finish her associate’s degree at Palm Beach State College in December. That will make her a college junior by the time she is 18. And last month, she earned the title Miss South Florida Fair. On Jan. 16, Bomford was crowned at the Miss South Florida Fair Scholarship Pageant, and the win entered her into July’s Miss Florida Pageant 2016. “I’m so excited,” she said. “I’ve wanted that title for a very long time. It was my first year of eligibility, so that was great.” Bomford, who has been competing in pageants since she was 10 years old, has always attended
the South Florida Fair. When she learned that there was a pageant, it made the fair even more special to her. Seventeen is the age distinction between two different categories at the South Florida Fair within the Miss America organization, Bomford explained. If you are 17 and a junior, you compete in the Outstanding Teen program. If you are 17 and a senior, you can complete in the Miss program and become Miss South Florida Fair. With multiple different levels to the pageant organization, Bomford likes to use a football analogy to explain things. For example, like football teams must advance through several levels to reach the Super Bowl, first you have to compete at a local event, then the state level and, finally, the national level. Winning Miss South Florida
Fair is her local steppingstone. “It’s not just a fair pageant,” she explained. “It’s really part of the Miss America organization. It’s a preliminary event for Miss Florida, which is a preliminary event for Miss America.” The intricacies of pageantry are not daunting to Bomford. “I really started to get involved in the Miss America pageant when I was 14. I competed three times in the Outstanding Teen program, and I made it to Miss Florida all three times to the top five,” she said. This year, at 17 and a senior, she was able to compete in a new age division. It was her first time, and she won. Over the duration of her seven years in pageants, this is her fourth win in the Miss America organization, where contestants can See BOMFORD, page 19