POLO LEADERS SEEK TO GROW SPORT SEE STORY, PAGE 7
TRUMP INVITATIONAL KICKS OFF WEF SEE STORY, PAGE 17
THE
TOWN - CR IER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
INSIDE Wellington Earmarks $400K For Lawyers
Volume 34, Number 2 January 11 - January 17, 2013
EQUESTRIAN GALLERY/MALL PREVIEW
Members of the Wellington Village Council transferred an additional $400,000 into the village’s legal services fund Tuesday to cover anticipated costs over the upcoming year. Discussion over whether to hire an inhouse or contracted attorney is expected to take place at the next council meeting. Page 3
Flags For The Cure Raises Over $27,000 For Cancer Society
LILA PHOTO
The Acreage Girls Flag Football League presented the sixth annual Flags for the Cure flag football tournament Jan. 2-6 at Acreage Community Park. Players of all ages came out to battle for charity and raised more than $27,000 for the American Cancer Society. Page 5
Coca-Cola Edges Villa Del Lago In Opening Polo Match At IPC
Coca-Cola defeated Villa Del Lago 13-12 on Sunday, Jan. 6 in the season opener at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington. Boasting the largest opening day crowd in the club’s 10-year history, IPC pulled out all the stops in the club’s Sunday season opener. Page 17
OPINION Wellington Needs A Dividing Line Between Politics & Horse Shows
This week, Wellington Village Council members debated whether the village should end its association with the Winter Equestrian Festival, given pending litigation. However, there needs to be a dividing line between the political/legal wrangling and the horse shows that make Wellington so unique and special. Politics must stop at the in-gate, if you will. If not, the longterm consequences could be devastating. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS ............................. 3 - 13 OPINION .................................4 CRIME NEWS .........................6 NEWS BRIEFS........................ 8 SCHOOLS ............................ 14 PEOPLE ............................... 15 COLUMNS .................... 25 - 26 BUSINESS .................... 27 - 29 ENTERTAINMENT .............. 231 SPORTS ........................ 37 - 39 CALENDAR ................... 40 - 41 CLASSIFIEDS ................ 42 - 47 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
The Wellington Equestrian Gallery & Mall held a grand opening preview event Thursday, Jan. 3 as a kickoff to the equestrian season. The official grand opening of the new shopping venue will take place Tuesday, Jan. 22. Pictured above are Steve Moss, WPTV NewsChannel 5’s Roxanne Stein, Gallery Coordinator Jack Van Dell and Angie Weltzien. STORY & PHOTOS, PAGE 20 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Indian Trail Gets First Look At Draft WPB Water Agreement By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report A water-sharing proposal between the Indian Trail Improvement District and the City of West Palm Beach could be mutually beneficial, according to a short presentation last week by ITID Engineer Lisa Tropepe and West Palm Beach water consultant Patrick Painter. Painter and Tropepe spoke at the ITID Board of Supervisors’ agenda review meeting Thursday, Jan. 3. The supervisors expressed an interest in the idea, but postponed further consideration until more information is available on the specifics of the plan. According to Tropepe, the idea could help keep The Acreage wet in the dry season and flood-free during the rainy season. “I want to give you an update on board direction that you gave to us for what we call fondly the pilot pump project between our L Canal, which runs north and
south, and the M Canal, which is operated and maintained by the City of West Palm Beach,” Tropepe said. Tropepe handed out pictures taken during the Tropical Storm Isaac flooding of units 4 and 5, in the north-central part of The Acreage. She explained that the area, hit hard by flooding during the storm, currently drains by gravity to the north more than 2 miles to the M-O Canal, then west to the impoundment area. She explained that the M-1 upper basin is pretty much void of moving water. “It’s currently moving by gravity alone,” she said. To solve this problem, engineering staff re-examined a pilot pump project from the late 1990s. “There were some smart minds who remembered this project from the past. We dusted off the agreement, and what is in your packet is a revised agreement to not make this a temporary pump station but to make it a permanent pump sta-
tion,” Tropepe said. She noted that technology has improved over the past decade and that both she and Painter have worked on similar projects elsewhere. “This is only conceptual,” Tropepe stressed. “We don’t have all the details, but I wanted you to be aware of some things that we as staff agreed upon conceptually in this draft agreement.” West Palm Beach and ITID would share the cost of the project and would be joint permitees. The city would be granted access to the L Canal right-of-way in order to construct, repair or maintain the project. ITID and West Palm Beach would be responsible for their own respective telemetry. Meanwhile, the city would pay for 100 percent of the cost of the pump station, allow ITID drainage access to the M Canal whenever necessary, work with ITID in the design of the pump station and See WATER, page 18
Lawsuits Put Wellington In A Bind When Dealing With WEF By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report With the Village of Wellington locked in an increasing number of lawsuits with the owners of the Winter Equestrian Festival, the question of whether Wellington should continue to associate itself with the community’s signature horse show series arose at this week’s Wellington Village Council meeting. During her council comments at the tail end of Tuesday’s meeting, Councilwoman Anne Gerwig brought up a planned Palm Beach County League of Cities luncheon scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 20 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. “Is this council concerned about being in litigation with the entities that control that property?” Gerwig asked, noting that Wellington would be considered a sponsor of the luncheon. “I want to get this out in the open. I
don’t want the League of Cities to be left hanging. My understanding is that it’s not costing Wellington anything, but we would be required to be a host.” Village Manager Paul Schofield said that plans to host the luncheon at the show grounds had been made when Wellington was still negotiating with property owners Wellington Equestrian Partners about the litigation. “Since that time, [the negotiations] have stopped and two different lawsuits have been filed,” Schofield said. “Under those circumstances, it would be my recommendation that we not continue.” But Gerwig disagreed. “I don’t understand why we would turn down an opportunity to showcase what we all agree is a world-class facility for show jumping,” she said. “It’s not an expense for Wellington. If we were putting some taxpayer money on the line
here, I would say that I agree we can’t be in that kind of relationship while someone is suing us.” Gerwig said she brought the issue to light because she didn’t want it to be swept under the rug. “If we vote not to do it, that’s fine,” she said. “But I want a public discussion. I don’t want it to be anyone’s secret. The League of Cities is under the impression that this is scheduled. I don’t want anyone to be left in the lurch.” Vice Mayor Howard Coates asked that if it is a League of Cities function, why Wellington is required to be listed as a host. “They won’t hold the meeting without a municipal sponsor,” Schofield explained. Councilman John Greene asked if Wellington could host the event at one of its own facilities. Schofield noted that the Wellington Community Center is not available, and that because it is a See WELLINGTON, page 18
Serving Palms West Since 1980
Wellington Council Favors New Home For Tennis Center By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report It appears that the Wellington Tennis Center will be moving to a new home. Members of the Wellington Village Council largely agreed at a workshop Wednesday that the facility should have a site of its own where it can meet the needs of the tennis-playing community. Though no official vote was cast, council members are expected to make an official decision at a meeting Jan. 22. At the workshop, Village Manager Paul Schofield said that before other major decisions could be made about the rebuilding of the Wellington Community Center, council members would have to decide what to do about the tennis center, which occupies part of the building. “That is the first decision you have to make,” he said. Council members asked Wellington tennis pro Tommy Cheatham to weigh in on whether members were in favor of moving. “It’s a bit of both,” he said. “People are in favor of moving it if there will be additional courts. We have a court issue, especially in the mornings. If there are more courts at the new facility, I think people will be in favor. If not, I don’t think it really matters.” Director of Operations Jim Barnes said that a new facility would have about five extra courts. Wellington Mayor Bob Margolis asked whether that would mean more opportunities for tour-
naments and other revenue sources. Cheatham said it would. “It will give us a lot more opportunity,” he said. “We’re turning people away because we just don’t have the space.” Cheatham also said that the initial plans for a new center included an underground watering system for the courts, which could save Wellington a substantial amount. “I think it would cut your budget at least in half, if not more — even with more courts,” he said. “The underground watering has no maintenance at all.” The clay courts — of which there are only a few in the entire county — must be resurfaced every four to five years, Cheatham said. But Wellington’s have not been done in more than a decade. Councilwoman Anne Gerwig asked how many of the tennis center players are Wellington residents. “This is taxpayer money we’re talking about,” she noted. Cheatham estimated that 98 percent of his players are also residents, but Gerwig said she would like to see some evidence to support that. Margolis asked whether it would be beneficial for the facility to have other areas, such as a snack bar, for players to use. Cheatham said it would be a good idea. He asked that whatever the council chooses to do, it not interrupt play too much. “If tennis stays where it is and you start tearing that building See TENNIS, page 18
KIDS ENJOY ARTFEST
The Wellington Art Society hosted ArtFest on the Green, a twoday event with artists and vendors, on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 5 and 6 at the Wellington Amphitheater. Shown here, Devan Adair and her sister, Addison color in the student tent. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
ITID Board Agrees To Keep Tanya Quickel By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors decided last week to keep District Administrator Tanya Quickel at her post. Last month, Quickel offered to negotiate her exit with ITID attorneys after some board members wanted to renegotiate her contract to create a position with less responsibility and authority. However, the board voted 3-1 at a special meeting Thursday, Jan. 3 to reject Quickel’s termination. At ITID’s December board meeting, Supervisor Carol Jacobs recommended that the board take
over more responsibility over dayto-day operations of the district, increase the responsibility of the operations/maintenance director and reduce the administrator’s responsibilities to that of a manager. Jacobs had made a motion to fire Quickel that died for lack of a second. When Supervisor Michelle Damone suggested a workshop to discuss a renegotiation of her contract, Quickel said that she would not be open to renegotiation and instead asked to begin the termination proceedings. At the meeting last week, ITID’s human resources attorney, Lara See QUICKEL, page 7
Royal Palm Will Seek Resident Input On Strategic Plan By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report A vision has been crafted for the future of Royal Palm Beach, and residents will have an opportunity to weigh in this spring. Two months after council members had a chance to provide input on the new strategic plan, a draft proposal has been created. The draft is a result of a workshop held in November with village staff and officials in an effort to lay out plans to execute RPB’s goals in the next five, 10 and 15 years. The agreed upon theme was an
overall vision to maintain a premier residential community with a hometown feeling, ideal for families — beautiful, safe, convenient and enjoyable. Vice Mayor Fred Pinto said that synopsis accurately reveals what he feels the vision should be. “I don’t view our village to be in any kind of contest with other cities in the surrounding area,” Pinto said. “I don’t care what the other cities are doing. All I care about is trying to maintain the life that we have here in the Village of Royal Palm Beach.” Pinto said his position is based
on consistent input he has received in his nearly 10 years on the council. “It’s what the citizens want,” he said. “They don’t want to see things changing and growing and expanding. They want to see it kept quiet. They want to see the parks that we’ve been providing for them to be kept up and in good shape.” There are some who feel that Royal Palm Beach needs to attract more commerce. “I don’t see that,” Pinto said. “We don’t have that much left in the village that’s zoned for commercial or light commercial. I’m not
interested in going out, rezoning and changing residential land to be zoned for commercial. I don’t, quite frankly, see how that’s going to improve the quality of life for the people who live here. It’s a quiet village. I want to keep it that way. I’m not looking for any extraordinary growth or expansion.” Pinto said he found the process of drafting the vision interesting because it referred to the village’s future in terms of what it has accomplished. “For the last 17 years, we’ve lowered taxes or haven’t raised them,” he said. “We’ve positioned
ourselves as one of the top municipalities in the county. We were very well positioned to withstand the downturn in the economy and the downturn in revenues, without having to take any drastic action in reducing services. We continue to do what we’ve been doing.” Pinto said he looks forward to hearing residents’ views on the process. Mayor Matty Mattioli said a citizens’ input meeting is tentatively scheduled for April 11. “I thought [the report] was very See RPB PLAN, page 18