TOWN STAFF TO EXAMINE LGWCD BILL SEE STORY, PAGE 4
AREA STUDENTS RAISE MONEY FOR LLS SEE STORY, PAGE 7
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
INSIDE
Volume 39, Number 6 February 9 - February 15, 2018
Serving Palms West Since 1980
GREAT CHARITY CHALLENGE PASSES $12 MILLION IN LOCAL DONATIONS
Wellington Hosts Annual Father Daughter Dance At Village Park
Village Park hosted Wellington’s annual Father Daughter Dance in the gymnasium on Saturday, Feb. 3. Fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers and all blends of families came together for dancing, dinner and games. The photo booth with props was a big hit, as well as the chocolate fountain. Beauty and the Beast made a surprise appearance to make it even more special. Page 5
Cavanaghs Have Served Local Insurance Needs Since The 1980s
Bob and Karen Cavanagh have been in the insurance field since the late 1970s and active members of the western communities since 1986. Residents of Wellington, they operate a longstanding Allstate agency in Royal Palm Beach. Page 7
Wellington’s Deeridge Farms Hosts The 2018 Palm Beach Masters
The 2018 CP Palm Beach Masters CSI3*-W, presented by Sovaro, was held Feb. 1-4 at Deeridge Farms in Wellington. The event featured the $220,000 Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Wellington on Feb. 4. The highlight event was won by Ireland’s Daniel Coyle riding Cita. Page 17
OPINION Avossa’s Exit Leaves The School District Leaderless... Again
The School District of Palm Beach County has been thrown into a leaderless turmoil yet again with this week’s surprise resignation of Superintendent Dr. Robert Avossa, who will be leaving his position in June after just three years at the helm. Board members were blindsided. For someone who has pledged “recruit, reward, retain” when coming to hiring teachers for the district, Avossa chose not to “walk the walk.” Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS................................. 3 - 8 OPINION.................................. 4 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 PEOPLE................................. 13 SCHOOLS.......................14 - 15 COLUMNS............................. 16 BUSINESS......................26 - 27 SPORTS..........................29 - 31 CALENDAR............................ 32 CLASSIFIEDS................ 33 - 36 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
The ninth annual Great Charity Challenge, presented by Fidelity Investments, was held Saturday, Feb. 3 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. The event distributed $1.5 million to local nonprofit organizations, bringing its grand total to more than $12 million since its creation in 2010. Shown above, GCC founders Mark, Katherine and Paige Bellissimo join key sponsors and representatives of this year’s three top-winning charities. Riders Shane Sweetnam, Lindsey Tomeu and Chloe White, sponsored by Spy Coast Farm/Lisa Lourie and Monica Preston, and corporate sponsor Dever Golf Cars, took the top prize for the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County. Coming in second were Carly Dvorkin, Daisy Farish and David Blake riding for Quantum House, sponsored by Pine Hollow and corporate sponsor the Shaughnessy family. Stem HQ/ TechGarage riders Gia Rinaldi, Kennedy McCauley and Haylie Rolfe finished third, sponsored by CP and corporate sponsor the Bainbridge Companies. STORY & MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 3 PHOTO BY BETSY LABELLE/TOWN-CRIER
ITID Board Selects Michael Brillhart For Manager Post
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors hired Michael Brillhart as their new district manager Wednesday, subject to references, background checks and salary negotiation. Brillhart, who lives in Vero Beach and has history as a planner for various municipalities and special districts, was the last remaining candidate in the field after the other candidate, former Wellington Village Engineer Bill Riebe, took another position. At the request of some supervisors, the board was also considering Director of Operations & Maintenance Rob Robinson, who has been serving as acting manager, for the permanent position. Ultimately, however, the board selected Brillhart after talking with Supervisor Jennifer Hager, who was not at the previous meeting, and was attending the reconvened meeting by telephone.
Human relations attorney Lara Donlon said the board had the option of selecting from the pool of existing candidates, and since last week, one of those candidates, Riebe, had taken another job, leaving only Brillhart. If the board was not satisfied, it could reject the candidate pool and begin another search, or look toward the acting manager. Supervisor Gary Dunkley said he favored Brillhart and felt Robinson lacked the experience as manager. “I recommend that we take the last one standing, because not only was he consistent, but he’s more than qualified,” Dunkley said. “He has experience and education.” Supervisor Ralph Bair agreed with Dunkley. “He has the education and everything that we need for guidance for a while to come,” Bair said. “I think that’s the best course of action.” Supervisor Carol Jacobs also
agreed to Brillhart as her choice. “When he interviewed at the last meeting, he was my choice. I think he has the education, and he has worked many years in government. I think that is our best bet right now with a lot of new people on staff,” Jacobs said. “Right now, we are falling behind, and I want to get back on track. He is highly qualified. I think the HR attorney needs to do her process where she checks up his references and salary range.” Hager asked whether anyone had reconsidered Robinson for the position. Argue said the board had to first consider the candidate pool, pointing out that Robinson withdrew his original application. The board had the option of rejecting the candidate pool before it considered Robinson. Hager said she would be ready to make a motion to appoint Robinson if the board rejected the candidate pool, and made a motion See ITID MANAGER, page 7
By Jack Lowenstein Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington Parks & Recreation Department is seeking proposals for new classes and programs at the Wellington Community Center. The village offers a variety of classes and programs at the facility. It continues to look for independent contractors who wish to share their talents, positive energy and expertise through new community center programs. Chris O’Connor, community programs coordinator for the village, is receiving proposal submissions. “We’re trying to look and see if there is anyone who has interest in providing something like what we suggested, or something beyond that maybe we aren’t thinking of,” O’Connor said.
Some of the suggested program ideas include handyman do-ityourself shop classes, photography and videography classes, cooking and food prep classes, art classes of various forms, wellness programs such as tai chi and education programs. The proposals are not limited to these program ideas, and the department looks to find ways to offer community programs to all age groups. “We’re trying to take some programs that are usually geared toward adults, but we’re trying to see how that would do with kids, too,” O’Connor said. “We’re offering kids’ meditation and kids’ yoga classes. We’re hoping to see how that takes effect, and we’re hoping it gets a strong foothold here.”
O’Connor said the department learns about program ideas through its own meetings, as well as through word of mouth out in the community during events. “We’ve had success with people just reaching out to us and saying, ‘Hey, we’d like to provide Zumba in the area,’” O’Connor said. “For example, one of our dance programs has had a lot of success here.” O’Connor said it is important for proposal submissions to be clear and concise. “For us, details definitely help. The more specific you are in, one, what you can provide and, two, what you’re interested in providing, that definitely helps,” O’Connor said. “Flexibility is a big thing, too, so knowing we can See PROGRAMS, page 19
McKinlay Sees Busy Year Ahead As County Mayor
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Palm Beach County Mayor Melissa McKinlay has many goals for the coming year countywide, as well as in her own District 6, which includes some of the poorest and most affluent areas of the county. “My district is so diverse, there are a whole lot of different areas to focus on,” McKinlay told the Town-Crier. “I will start way, way out west in the Glades communities, continuing to support any sort of infrastructure improvements and economic development opportunities. We are in the middle of our legislative session right now. We have been on the phone around the clock the last 48 hours making sure that we hold legislators’ feet to the fire on the promises they made under Senate Bill 10 to reinvest in workforce economic development and infrastructure projects in the Glades.” McKinlay, who was with the county’s lobbying staff before being elected commissioner in
2014, is also working with the staff to put pressure on the federal government to speed up repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee so there are no more evacuations from the Glades region like what happened during Hurricane Irma. “It was a dangerous situation when you didn’t have hospitals open, and it’s a wide stretch across Florida — almost the whole State Road 80 corridor had to be evacuated because the projection kept shifting,” she said. Another issue in the Glades area is to make sure that farmers can still farm. “We faced some threats last year to agricultural production,” she said. “I don’t want to do anything that supports taking any land out of active agricultural production. I was happy to see that the legislature was actually able to get the reservoir they needed working around those concerns.” Housing issues are a concern, See McKINLAY, page 19
VINCEREMOS GALA
The Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center held its 31st annual Dinner & Benefit Auction on Friday, Feb. 2 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach. Riders of the Year and Volunteers of the Year were recognized, and the buckoff finals were held. Shown above are Volunteers of the Year Jolie Lobdell-Squadrito and Neva Rae Powers. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 21 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Lox Council Wants Wellington Seeks Community To Use Easements For Road Drainage Center Program Proposals By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council selected a method of stormwater retention Tuesday that uses 10 feet of residents’ easement as the primary method to get water off the roads and preserve their surfaces. In a special workshop before the county meeting, Randy Wertepny of Keshavarz & Associates, the town’s engineering consultant, presented three options for fixing drainage issues on the town’s roadways. Option 1, which was selected, will use 10 feet of residents’ frontage as a swale to retain stormwater. Option 2, which would use a small catch basin and culvert to direct water to the canal, was passed over. Option 3, which was selected
as a backup, would use a larger 10-foot by 20-foot catch basin and culvert. All three options would be voluntary, and any resident who objects to having his property used would be passed over. “We’ve looked at several alternative solutions for addressing some of the drainage concerns,” Wertepny said. “We’ve also evaluated not just low spots on the roads, where there was clear and evident erosion. Part of what we wanted to do was try to utilize some of the existing ditches and culverts, so anywhere where we came across a culvert, we looked at it to try to see the condition, if it is causing an issue with the roadway today or can we utilize it for future drainage.” Using a locator map with GPS See DRAINAGE, page 4
Artist Patrick Roggenbau Finds Home In Wellington
By Betsy LaBelle Town-Crier Staff Report Patrick Roggenbau, a European Renaissance artist, celebrates his art and shares his masterworks created while living in Wellington throughout South Florida. Born and raised in Aachen, Germany, he grew up with two main passions: art and horses. “For me, it has always been art and horses,” he said. “So, I always focused on both, the art of training horses and paintings.” The artist is drawn to Wellington, like many world-class equestrians, as a place where he can focus on his art without losing his upbringing with horses. “Growing up in Aachen, you breathe horses,” Roggenbau said. “The CHIO Aachen competition in
July is one of the biggest events in Germany — in fact, in the world. Every year, it takes over the entire city. People who have nothing to do with horses join in the event because it’s the biggest social event of the year; a huge, weeklong gathering.” Bringing together the lifestyle of art, Roggenbau is welcoming. “I’m an artist who really loves to relate with people. I love the feedback,” he said. “I always have a relationship with my work. I love to talk about it, and I love people and the social gatherings. For me, it is about connecting with people.” He has an upcoming show at Art Wynwood, Feb. 15-19, in Miami. “It’s such a gift, art, for me,” he explained. “The more I can show
my art and connect with others, the happier I am.” During the past 10 years, he has shown his works in Bologna, Italy; Chicago; and Wiesbaden, Germany. In 2009, Roggenbau was one of four selected artists to participate in a month-long event for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. “We started showcasing our art for one month in Aachen, and then the show traveled around Germany, and finally to Berlin,” he said. Now he showcases his art here in Wellington, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. “A few years ago, I moved to Florida full-time, and I’m focused on my art. I paint people, horses, landscapes and dogs — just about anything. I like to capture the
soul of the being in front of me. I want to capture the personality,” Roggenbau said. “There is something special there. That is my duty as an artist to bring that out. It’s something that has more than a momentary message. It’s something that is forever.” He is also a creator of beautiful murals, a canvas painter, and he also sketches illustrations for books and more. Often compared to Caravaggio, he just completed a show that took place at Bahia Mar Yacht Club in Fort Lauderdale. “At my last art show, someone compared me to Caravaggio, a contemporary take on him. My roots show through, my Renaissance training,” he said. “One world nurtures the other. I loved See ROGGENBAU, page 19
Artist Patrick Roggenbau showcases his classical art in South Florida.