Town-Crier Newspaper January 1, 2016

Page 1

WEATHER FORECASTER ON ‘EL NIÑO’ SEE STORY, PAGE 3

FLAGS FOR THE CURE IN THE ACREAGE SEE STORY, PAGE 4

THE

TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

Your Community Newspaper

INSIDE

County Aerial Spraying Attempts To Control Large Mosquito Swarms

Volume 37, Number 1 January 1 - January 7, 2016

Serving Palms West Since 1980

CIRCUS ARTS CAMP IN WELLINGTON

Residents plagued by an unusual number of mosquitoes for this time of year should see a decrease after the county’s recent mosquito control operations. Palm Beach County Mosquito Control completed an unprecedented aerial spray program in all areas west of Military Trail on Monday, Dec. 28 due to unseasonably wet and warm conditions. Page 3

Winter Kids FunFest Special Event At Commons Park In RPB

The Village of Royal Palm Beach, Crazy Games and Bounce House Rentals cosponsored a new special event called Winter Kids FunFest on Tuesday, Dec. 22 at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park. Families and youth day camps came out to attend this action-packed winter break event. Page 5

Palm Beach County Considering ATV Park Near 20-Mile Bend

Palm Beach County has several projects underway in the area of 20-Mile Bend, including a new bridge, improved roadways and possibly a park for all-terrain vehicles. Last month, Palm Beach County agreed to purchase almost 40 acres of land west of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office shooting range from the South Florida Water Management District for $404,000 to complete a triangle of county-owned property in the area. Page 7

Okeeheelee Nature Center Hosts Archery For Beginners Program

The Okeeheelee Nature Center hosted an Archery for Beginners event on Saturday, Dec. 26 for ages 8 and up. Students learn the basics of archery from safety to shooting, developing a great new skill during the twohour program. Page 19 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 13 OPINION.................................. 4 CRIME NEWS.......................... 6 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 8 PEOPLE................................. 14 SCHOOLS.............................. 15 COLUMNS...................... 16, 23 BUSINESS......................24 - 25 SPORTS..........................29 - 31 CALENDAR............................ 32 CLASSIFIEDS................ 33 - 36 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

The Village of Wellington hosted a Winter Break Sports & Circus Arts Day Camp from Monday, Dec. 28 through Saturday, Jan. 2. The Aerial Trapeze Academy taught kids to perform moves on the trapeze, lyra (hoop) and aerial silks. Kids got a chance to learn to juggle, clown around and more. Shown here, Aerial Trapeze Academy instructor Jordi Mednick assists Ava McDevitt on the lyra. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 13 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Wellington Manager Predicts Fiscal Stability Ahead In 2016

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington’s year ahead should be fairly stable and predictable due to the economic recovery after several tumultuous years, even with the potential for significant changes on the Wellington Village Council, Village Manager Paul Schofield said. “Next year is going to be an interesting year,” Schofield told the Town-Crier on Tuesday. “We were going to potentially have five new people on the council, but that’s not going to happen.” Recently appointed Councilman John McGovern went unchallenged in his election bid, and either incumbent Mayor Bob Margolis or his challenger, Councilwoman Anne Gerwig, will be mayor. Vice Mayor John Greene faces a challenge from attorney Michael Drahos, while attorney Michael Napoleone will take the seat being

vacated in March by Councilman Matt Willhite. After the election, the new council will decide what to do regarding the seat that Gerwig is leaving in order to pursue her mayoral bid. Schofield said that it is the first time in the village’s history that so many seats are up at one time. “Other than that, next year is pretty straightforward for us,” he said. “Capital projects are about the same as they’ve always been.” Several projects are more safetyrelated, including a roundabout at Stribling Way and Fairlane Farms Road, and paving 120th Avenue South from Lake Worth Road to 50th Street South. “We’re investing money back into our water and sewer system, into the roads and drainage, and we’re looking forward to a year where we can concentrate on making good things better,” Schofield said. Although the difficult fiscal

years have passed, Wellington is still being cautious in its spending, he said. “The last time the economy was really good and things were growing at very fast rates, governments weren’t as careful about letting tax rates rise,” he said. “We stayed at the 2.4 [mill] range. We dropped it a little bit here and there, but [other] governments let their collections go up in projects and everything expanded. We’re not going to do that. The economy is good, and quite frankly, we expect it to stay that way for a while.” While Schofield’s prediction is based on historic patterns, he does not want the village to again have to make drastic cuts in order to remain solvent. “We’re going to be much more careful than in the past because I don’t ever want to be in the position where we’re going to have to make significant cuts again,” See SCHOFIELD, page 7

Plenty Of Projects On Tap For 2016 In Royal Palm Beach

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report The Village of Royal Palm Beach will turn over a new leaf in 2016, as many projects are completed and new ones begun. Royal Palm Beach Village Manager Ray Liggins provided insight into the village’s busy upcoming year, telling the Town-Crier about some of the village’s most noteworthy projects. “We’re going to close next week on the sale of the old wastewater treatment plant property to Lennar Homes,” he said, noting the Jan. 6 closing date. “That’s something we initiated at the end of 2014, put the RFP [request for proposals] out, selected Lennar, went through the due diligence period all throughout the year, and then came to a successful closing.” While Lennar begins work on the 385-home development, the village will work to put the $34 million windfall to good use for taxpayers. At the first Royal Palm Beach Village Council meeting in

February, the village’s investment consultants will advise the council on how to proceed. As that project unfolds on the north end of the village, a development project will also be getting underway at the south end, now that Royal Palm Beach has approved the redevelopment of the Acme Ranches property. “That’s the biggest change the public will see,” Liggins said. “There will probably be some work getting started on the area south of State Road 80 (Southern Blvd.) west of Lowe’s… It’s going to look a little bit different at the end of 2016 than it did at the beginning of 2016.” Coming in March will be a council election with three seats up for grabs. Mayor Matty Mattioli is retiring after six years as mayor and more than 20 years as an elected official. Councilman Fred Pinto and former Councilwoman Martha Webster are vying to replace him. Meanwhile, Greenway See RPB 2016, page 4

BELIEVE IN SANTA

The Believe in Santa Foundation visited 25 children in Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Greenacres, Lake Worth, Lantana and Jupiter on Christmas Day with Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies and firefighters from Palm Beach County FireRescue, bringing gifts and joy on Christmas morning. Shown here, Aryana Vanover gives Santa a kiss. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

Traffic, Park & Drainage Plans Lox Groves Manager Top Indian Trail’s 2016 Goals Expects A Year Of Accomplishments

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Indian Trail Improvement District expects to see a number of accomplishments in 2016, including the start of the southern expansion of Acreage Community Park after years of delay. But ITID will also spend a lot of time trying to control the effects of development issues that have sprung up from the ashes of the last recession. “It appears that Palm Beach County is going to be approving more development projects,” District Manager Jim Shallman told the Town-Crier on Wednesday. “Our biggest concern right now is making certain that any impact to our roadways is mitigated by the developers.” ITID representatives plan to meet with county officials on Jan. 11 to air their concerns. “That’s two days before Palm Beach County Days [in Tallahassee], so I’m kind of hoping that we

coordinate a little with that meeting and go up north and see what we can do,” Shallman said. “The scenery is going to change around here, and there is no doubt that the roadways will be impacted — parks as well. We have pretty nice parks out here, so it’s not really just a safety issue, it’s quality of life.” He pointed out that ITID is limited to property assessments for its revenue, which remain the same even in a recovering economy, while governments funded by ad valorem tax revenue get more money with rising property values when keeping the same rate. ITID, by contrast, gets 97 percent of its revenue from non-ad valorem assessments. “We don’t have any other real revenue streams to choose from except grant funding, which we’re getting pretty good at, so we do have some of those opportunities now,” Shallman said. “We want to remain rural, and we think of

ourselves as a rural district, acreand-a-quarter lots with dirt roads. We were recognized as a place in the 2010 census, but we are unable to generate the kind of money that cities and incorporated towns can, so we really do have to rely on grants.” ITID representatives expect to spend a good amount of time during Palm Beach County Days lobbying legislators to support the district’s grants. “They are already in the works. We’ve already got two FRDAP [Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program] grants right now that are on the recommended funding list,” Shallman said. “Cultural facilities, we’ve got one for Hamlin House, which would take into account the money that we already have spent there. It would be no match, $100,000, and that would be a great deal.” They recently applied for three See ITID 2016, page 4

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Loxahatchee Groves is looking forward to the completion of a number of projects in 2016, as well as some others getting underway as the town heads into its 10th year of incorporation. Town Manager Bill Underwood said that projects in the area of Southern Blvd. and B Road will see significant progress this year — including the completion and opening of the new Palm Beach State College campus. “I think that’s big,” he said. Coupled with that will be the completion of B Road improvements being paid for by the college and two commercial projects at the northwest and northeast quadrants of the intersection. “I believe that it will be one of the better road segments in

the town, from Southern to Okeechobee,” Underwood said. “It looks like it’s a little bit ahead of schedule. They’re looking to complete it well within the next year, and I’m anxious to see how that works, with proper drainage and engineered speed tables to control the traffic flow.” Underwood said that he is very pleased that the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council decided to use the town’s engineering firm, Keshavarz & Associates, to design the road in a manner he thinks will last for a number of years without crumbling. The council is also looking for improvements to the overlay plan for Okeechobee Blvd., which was sent back to staff at a recent council meeting to try to retain a two-lane road despite pressure from develSee GROVES 2016, page 4

Challengers Take Aim At RPB Council Incumbents

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report While the March 15 election in Royal Palm Beach will definitely bring a new mayor, challengers taking on council incumbents hope village voters are in the mood for even more change. Greenway Village resident Lenore White is challenging Councilman Jeff Hmara for the Group 1 seat, while businesswoman Selena Smith is challenging Vice Mayor Richard Valuntas for the Group 3 seat. Meanwhile, Councilman Fred Pinto and former Councilwoman Martha Webster are vying for the mayor’s chair now that current Mayor Matty Mattioli is retiring

after six years as mayor and more than 20 years on the council. Smith, who ran unsuccessfully for a council seat in 2012, feels that change is needed on the council. “Primarily for transparency and to give a different point of view on the dais than what is already up there,” she said. Her thorough understanding of the village, with a different perspective, along with her involvement and dedication to the community, are why Smith feels qualified for the position. “The great part about being on the village council is it’s an understanding of the village and what the residents want,” Smith said. “What makes me qualified

for that is being involved in the community as long as I have and being a resident as long as I have. Professionally, I’ve worked in the area.” Many residents care about the direction of the village, Smith said, and she happens to be at a point in her life where she has the time to run for the council. Smith chose the Group 3 seat because it was available, not because of Valuntas in particular. “He is a very nice man. I think he’s done a nice job,” she said. “You tend to look at how people’s campaigns are funded, and where it’s coming from. He has been unopposed for several elections. It’s nice to get a variety of people out

there. I find it good to change up the council just to give it a different perspective. Most of those people have been on there for decades.” Smith, who works in the marketing industry, has served in leadership roles in a number of local organizations, such as the Royal Palm Beach Rotary Club, Wellington Cares, the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce and the Western Business Alliance. To learn more about Smith, e-mail selenaforcouncil@ yahoo.com. Valuntas, an attorney, is seeking his fourth term on the council. “I bring a lot to the position,” Valuntas said. “I’m motivated toward serving the best interests

of the community… I think I have really helped better the community as a whole, and I’d like to continue to do that.” He was on the Recreation Advisory Board for eight years before joining the council and has also been involved with local schools. “Education is going to be the foundation of our community,” he said. Valuntas is proud of his work on behalf of village taxpayers. “The biggest thing is keeping the tax rate, the millage rate, even, which is good,” he said. “There was an issue years ago with the Indian Trail Improvement District assessing a good amount of people here in Royal Palm Beach, includSee RPB VOTE, page 17


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